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The Story in the Woods 







































































THE TWINS IN 
FRUITLAND 


BY 

GLADYS JAY 

»I 


Illustrated hy 
Ludwig and Regina 



BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 
CHICAGO 
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Copyright, 1929 

BY 

Beckley-Cardy Company 




Printed in the United States of America 


SEP -2 !930 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Meet the Twins. 7 

Introducing also the Bergamot. 

The Story in the Woods.11 

About Oranges. 

In Desert Lands .19 

A Story of Dates. 

The Story of Figs.26 

An Ancient Fruit. 

What the Fruit Dealer Said.32 

Fruits from All Over the World. 

The Next Morning.36 

All about Bananas. 

The Banana’s Relation.43 

The Two Papaws. 

Off to the Farm.49 

A Story of Grapefruits. 

The Peach-Blossom Fairy.53 

Tells about Peaches. 

Some Peachy” Relations.58 

Nectarines and Apricots. 

Our Best Known Friend.62 

The Good Old Apple. 

Grandma Tells a Story.69 

About Wild Crabapples and the Mistletoe. 

Grandpa’s Nature Lesson.73 

About Cherries and Cherry Trees. 

Jenny Renews an Acquaintance.77 

A Story of Pears and Quinces. 


5 















6 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The Twilight Story.83 

About the Alligator Pear. 

Sugar Plums.87 

That Grow on Trees. 

The Twins Visit Connie.92 

And Learn That Prunes Are Plums. 

The Wiener Roast on the Beach.96 

And the Story of the Watermelon. 

The Day After.101 

Something about Muskmelons and Casabas. 

When Mother Was a Girl.106 

A Story of Persimmons. 

A Letter from India .. . .Ill 

Telling about Lemons. 

The Citron Tree.117 

A Cousin to the I.emon and Orange. 

Teacher’s Nature Lesson.121 

A Story of Grapes and Raisins. 

Uncle John’s Treat.126 

To Limes and a Circus. 

The Fruit Dealer Tells a Story.130 

About Tangerines and Kumquats. 

Jerry Tries a Pomegranate.135 

And Learns about Tannin. 

The Stranger Entertains the Twins .... 140 

With a Story about Pineapples. 

The Story of the Coconut.146 

“One of the Most Useful Things in the World.” 

Thanksgiving on the Farm.152 

And a Story about Cranberries. 

The Birthday Party. .156 

And a Story about Silk and Mulberries. 
















MEET THE TWINS 

Jerry and Jenny Lancaster were twins. In 
the birth certificates their names were recorded as 
Gerald and Josephine Lancaster, but their 
mother declared that she could never say those 
two long names all in one breath about a hun¬ 
dred times a day. So Jerry and Jenny they 
became, and everyone was suited — even 
Grandma. 

The children had a holiday and their mother 
had promised them a picnic. This was Jerry’s 
first outing after a long illness. 

“Won’t it be fun!” he laughed, as he helped 
Jenny pack sandwiches in Mother’s best wicker 
picnic basket. “My! that lemonade looks 
good!” 

The lunch was soon all tucked away, and the 
lid of the basket closed down. 

7 


8 


THE TWINS IN FEUITLAND 


They scampered away upstairs. Mother was 
just putting on her hat. 

“Oh!” Jerry sniffed. “What’s that, Mother?” 

Mrs. Lancaster laughed. 

“Trust you to discover things,” she said gaily. 
“That, Sir Pokey Nose, is my perfume.” 

“Smells nice. Couldn’t we have just a teeny, 
weeny drop of it, to make us smell nice?” ques¬ 
tioned Jerry. 

“Come, my little Beau Brummel,” his mother 
laughed. “When did you acquire your vanity?” 

She gave each a tiny drop on their handker¬ 
chiefs as she spoke. 

“What kind is it?” questioned Jenny, her 
nose buried deep in her handkerchief. 

“It is oil of bergamot,” replied her mother. 
Then she added, “A bergamot is a fruit.” 

“Oh!” said Jerry. 

“Do tell us more about it,” cried Jenny 
eagerly. 

Mother looked at her watch. “We must 
leave now. Maybe I can tell you while we walk 
to the car line.” 


MEET THE TWINS 


9 



When they were well on their way she went on. 


“The bergamot is a small fruit shaped a little 
like a pear. It grows on a low, evergreen tree, 
and the leaves and flowers look somewhat like 
those of a bitter orange. The bergamot has a 
smooth rind, the color of a lemon. It belongs 
to the same family as the orange and the lemon, 
in fact, the citrus family. 

“It is from the rind that the greenish yellow 
oil is pressed which is made into perfume. The 
fruit is grown for the perfume. 








10 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


“The bergamot tree is grown in Calabria, 
Italy, and also in France. 

“The name bergamot has been given to certain 
kinds of pears. There are also several fragrant 
mint plants that go by the same name.” 

“Here’s the car. Mother,” interrupted Jerry. 

They were soon safely seated in the car, and the 
conductor smiled pleasantly upon the twins as 
they placed the picnic basket between them. 

“Was the story finished?” questioned Jerry 
anxiously, hoping it was not. 

“Yes, that one was,” answered their mother. 
“Perhaps I will tell you another one when we 
get to the woods.” 


THE STORY IN THE WOODS 


“Let us sit here,” suggested their mother, 
when they arrived at the woods. 

The twins spread out the rug that Mother 
had brought from the house. A light rain had 
fallen the day before, leaving the ground damp, 
so Mother had taken this precaution to insure 
their safety from colds. 

“Wouldn’t you like to play hide-and-seek, or 
some game?” questioned Mother, thinking of 
the new book snuggled in with the lunch, which 
she had brought along to read. 

“But, Mother, did you forget?” whispered 
Jenny eagerly. 

“The story,” added Jerry. 

Mother swallowed a tiny little sigh, but asked 
kindly; “Well, what shall it be about—tigers 
or adventures? Or shall I tell you another fruit 
story?” 

“Yes, yes,” they bubbled excitedly. “Tell us 
another fruit story.” 


11 


12 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“Oranges,” cried Jenny, thinking of the stacks 
of oranges in the fruit dealer’s window. “Tell 
us about oranges.” 

“Well,” began Mother, “you know what 
oranges look like. Their rich color is known 
and admired everywhere and the juicy fruit that 
lies within the peel is delicious. Ripe oranges 
often have a delightful fragrance. I wonder—” 
she reached for the lunch basket and peeped 
into it. 

“Oh, there are some oranges in there. Mother,” 
cried Jenny. “I saw you tuck them in.” 

Mother laughed. 

“Trust Bright Eyes to watch,” she said. 

She took two oranges from the basket as she 
spoke. She gave one to each of the twins. 

“Notice how the peel comes off,” she said, as 
the twins began to prepare the fruit for eating. 

“Mine comes off easily,” remarked Jerry, pull¬ 
ing the peel away quickly. 

“Mine doesn’t,” said Jenny. “It is hard to 
get it off.” 

“There you have two varieties,” said Mother. 


THE STORY IN THE AYOODS 


13 



Oranges 


“The kind Jerry has, with the loose skin, is 
sometimes called the ‘kid-glove’ orange. There 
are many kinds of oranges.” 

“Yes,” said Jerry, “some oranges have seeds 
in them, and others do not.” 

“The California navel oranges are seedless,” 
said Mother. “And some kinds are sweet, others 
tart. And then there are bronze-colored oranges 
grown in Florida, called russet oranges.” 

“I thought most of the oranges came from 
California,” said Jenny. 

“It is true that California leads all the states 
in the growth of oranges,” Mother replied. 









14 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“California oranges are in the market the year 
round. But the first oranges grown in our 
country were planted in Florida by the Spaniards. 
That was fifty years before the Pilgrims landed 
at Plymouth Rock, and Florida still supplies 
our markets with delicious, sweet oranges, 
mostly of the russet type. The season for 
Florida oranges is from October to June.” 

“Do they grow anywhere else besides Florida 
and California?” asked Jenny. 

“They are now grown in many of our southern 
states,” said her mother. “They are found also 
in other warm countries. The West Indies and 
the Azores produce oranges. They grow also in 
Italy and Spain and the countries bordering 
the Mediterranean Sea.” 

“That would be in Europe and Asia and 
Africa,” remarked Jerry thoughtfully. 

“Yes,” replied his mother. “And in China 
and the Holy Land too. Oranges are native to 
China and Burma. It must be a hot climate 
for oranges to thrive, for they do not stand 
frost. If you were to visit an orange grove in 


THE STORY IN THE WOODS 


15 


California you might see black, charred spots 
on the ground where bonfires had been built to 
keep the fruit from being frost-bitten during the 
cold season.” 

“Bonfires?” asked Jerry eagerly. “Do they 
have bonfires in orange groves? I’d like to see 
an orange grove.” 

“Tell us about orange groves, Mother,” said 
Jenny, who also was listening intently. 

“If you were to visit an orange grove you 
would see beautiful trees set out in rows, care¬ 
fully tended to keep them from weeds and in¬ 
sects. In California and other dry climates, 
you would see irrigation canals to supply water 
to the growing crops.” 

“Do oranges grow on trees. Mother?” asked 
Jenny. 

“They grow on evergreen trees,” replied her 
mother, as she gathered the peelings into a 
piece of tissue paper and placed them in the 
basket. 

“Orange trees may reach a height of thirty 
feet and the branches hang low. The leaves are 


16 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


long and pointed, and oval in shape. They are 
glossy and dark green in color. The flowers 
are lovely and fill the air with fragrance.” 

“Aunty wore orange blossoms, didn’t she?” 
questioned Jenny, who had only recently been 
present at a wedding and remembered the 
clusters of white flowers, with their five waxy 
petals. 

“Yes, dear,” replied Mother. “Orange blos¬ 
soms are the bride’s own flower, because of their 
exquisite beauty and sweetness.” 

“Aw, tell us about orange groves,” put in 
Jerry, who was not interested in brides or 
weddings. 

His mother smiled at the boy’s impatience, 
as she went on with the story. 

“A remarkable thing about the orange tree 
is that it may carry leaves, flowers and fruit at 
the same time, all on the same tree. The 
flowers grow singly or in clusters. The orange 
blossom is the state flower of Florida. 

“Full grown trees in the orange groves some¬ 
times yield several hundred oranges a year. The 


THE STORY IN THE WOODS 


17 


fruit must be cut carefully from the tree. If 
they were picked like apples the stem might 
come out and leave a hole in the fruit and cause 
it to rot. Then the oranges must be handled 
gently to keep them from being bruised or the 
skins broken. After the fruit has been cut 
from the trees, the skins are washed and scrubbed 
with brushes. They are then graded as to size 
by putting them through machines made for 
the purpose. 

“This sorting and washing are done in a shed 
by men and women and boys and girls working 
together. 

“In another shed women and girls wrap the 
fruit in tissue paper, stamped with the name of 
the orchard.” 

“We had some red oranges one day for lunch,” 
said Jenny. 

“Yes,” said her mother. “They are called 
blood oranges. The little Mandarin oranges 
you saw at the fruit store came from China.” 

Jerry yawned as his mother finished speaking. 

“One thing more,” she said, with a smile. 


18 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“It will surprise you, too. The orange is really 
a berry, botanists tell us.” 

“A berry, like strawberries and raspberries?” 
cried Jerry. 

“It is called a berry because it carries the 
seeds within the fruit,” said his mother. 

She reached for her book. 

“Lie down on the rug and take a nap,” she 
said. 

The twins, seeing she meant to read, obeyed 
her. 


IN DESERT LANDS 

“Will you tell us a story, Mother?” The 
twins snuggled close up to their mother, their 
eager faces turned up to hers. 

Mother idly turned the pages of Jerry’s new 
story-book before replying. 

“Oh, what is that?” Jerry pointed excitedly 
to a picture just disclosed as Mother turned a 
page. 

“That is an Arab,” replied their mother. 

“And what’s he got that towel on his head 
for?” asked Jerry curiously. 

Mrs. Lancaster smiled. 

“That’s his headdress, dearie,” she said, “not 
a towel. In the country where the Arab lives 
it is very, very hot, so that he must wear some¬ 
thing to shield his head from the sun. In the 
desert there is nothing but sand for miles and 
miles, with nothing growing in sight. The 
Arabs ride upon camels, stopping only at an 
oasis for food and rest.” 

19 


20 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“An oasis, Mother?” inquired Jenny. 

“Yes, dear. An oasis is a little plot of grass 
and trees in the desert where springs supply 
water to make the green things grow. Here 
in these watered regions the natives often build 
villages. Date-palms that flourish there afford 
shade for fig and almond trees to grow at their 
feet.” 

“Do you mean the kind of dates that Uncle 
John sends us?” questioned the twins. 

“Just the same, only much fresher, of course,” 
answered their mother. “And of a pale golden 
color when they ripen on the tree. When dried 
they are russet or brown.” 

*‘Look, is that a date-palm?” queried Jerry 
curiously, pointing to the picture which had 
first inspired the story. 

His mother nodded. 

“Yes,” she said. “They are tall, straight 
trees, growing from fifty to one hundred feet in 
height. They live for a hundred years—some¬ 
times two hundred years, and they bear fruit 
when six to eight years old. The dry heat of 


IN DESERT LANDS 


21 



Gathering Dates 


the desert, with the moisture in the subsoil 
from underground springs, makes the best con¬ 
dition for them. 

“No leaves grow on the sides of the trunk, 
but near the top they shoot out like a fan and 
here hang the great, golden bunches of fruit. 












22 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


These leaves of the palm have been used in reli¬ 
gious services of many nations since earliest 
times.” 

“And the palm-leaf fan,” said Jenny. “Is 
that made of the leaves of this tree?” 

“Yes,” her mother replied. “The people of 
the desert use dates in many ways. The fruit 
is their main food—it has been called ‘the bread 
of the desert.’ It takes the place of wheat, corn 
and many other articles of food we have to eat, 
in the diet of the people of those southern coun¬ 
tries of the old world. It is more nutritious 
than beef. 

“The green fruit is used to make vinegar. 
The seeds are roasted and ground up to make a 
drink like coffee. The bud on the top of the tree 
is cut off and eaten when the tree falls. It is a 
vegetable something like cabbage.” 

“I could eat a whole bunch of dates,” de¬ 
clared Jerry. 

“Why, you’d turn into a date-palm,” laughed 
Jenny. 

“Travelers over the desert often have nothing 


IN DESERT LANDS 


23 


but bundles of dates on the backs of their camels, 
because they cannot carry much food with them,” 
said Mother. 

“A single bunch sometimes contains as many 
as two hundred dates,” she continued, smil¬ 
ing at Jerry, as she resumed her story. ‘‘A 
good date tree may bear one hundred to two 
hundred pounds of fruit. This yield in the wild 
state can be increased by cultivation to four 
hundred to six hundred pounds. The dates 
are borne in clusters weighing ten to forty 
pounds, directly underneath the leaf cluster, of 
various qualities and shapes. 

“A beverage is sometimes made from the 
dates by fermentation. The wood of the trunk 
and other parts of the trees are used for fuel and 
for fencing; the leaves are made into baskets 
and matting; the stringy portions, called fibers, 
are made into rope; the buds and young leaves 
are eaten by the natives as a vegetable, and even 
the stones are utilized. These are rolled and 
used as ‘date coffee,’ or sometimes the oil is 
extracted from them. Even the crushed stones 


24 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


that have yielded their oil are ground into food 
for cattle. So that no part of the tree is 
wasted.” 

"Where do the dates we eat come from?” 
asked Jerry. 

“They are shipped from the desert lands and 
the hot countries where they grow along the 
banks of streams,” said his mother. “They are 
packed in wooden boxes and in bags of matting 
in the dry state. If left on the tree after they 
ripen, they will dry out in the hot atmosphere 
of the desert in a few days. These dry dates 
pack more easily than the moist ones and they 
are in better condition for shipping. The people 
of the desert villages like the dry dates and 
carry them for food when they travel. They 
make a meal on the fruit alone. 

“Then there are the sweet varieties of dates, 
that are soft and still moist when cured. They 
are more than half sugar. The natives make a 
preserve out of them which they call date 
honey.” 

“Where are these deserts?” asked Jenny. 


IN DESERT LANDS 


25 


“We are talking of the deserts of Sahara in 
Africa and of Mesopotamia in Asia, the source 
of the date-palm. But dates are now grown in 
the hot, dry sections of some of our western 
states, such as California and Arizona. In the 
valleys and basins and where there is irrigation, 
the climate and condition may be a good deal 
like that of the desert regions of the old world 
where dates are grown.” 

Mother paused for breath. The twins, their 
curiosity on this picture satisfied, turned over to 
the next page in search of new adventure. 


THE STORY OF FIGS 


Jerry and Jenny were lying before the fire, 
drinking in with eager eyes the “Tales of Ad¬ 
venture,” a book Uncle John had given Jerry 
for his last birthday, when their mother entered 
to call them to lunch. 

“What’s that. Mother?” they questioned with 
their ever-ready curiosity, noticing that she held 
a paper bag half concealed behind her. Their 
mother smiled mysteriously, but the twins 
rushed upon her and soon the contents of the 
bag were revealed. 

“Figs!” they shouted joyfully. 

“Uncle John sent them for you,” their mother 
explained, still smiling. Uncle John was their 
favorite chum, and they were his favorite niece 
and nephew, so that some trifle was always 
finding its way from him to them. 

“May we eat them now?” they pleaded 
eagerly. 

“Not now, children,” answered Mother. 

26 


THE STORY OF FIGS 


27 



The Story of Figs 


“Come along to lunch. Perhaps afterward I 
will tell you something of their history, that 
you may enjoy them more.” 

“Oh, a story, a story!” cried Jerry in excite- 









28 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


ment, hugging his mother, and then running 
back to move the “Tales of Adventure ” which 
he had left too near the fire. 

The twins were soon busy with the heaping 
pile of bread and butter which Mother had 
spread thick with brown sugar. 

“Where do figs grow?” questioned Jerry, un¬ 
able to wait till the meal was finished. He 
sipped his milk rapidly, as though to hasten 
his mother’s reply. 

“Not so quickly,” she said. “Finish your 
milk slowly, and then we will go into the library 
again. It is chilly here.” 

Jerry obeyed somewhat reluctantly. But the 
meal was soon over, and the twins established 
once more in their favorite position before the 
fire. Mother drew her chair up close and began. 

“Figs are ancient fruit,” she said. “Every 
family in olden times was supposed to cultivate 
at least a few fig trees. From this custom arose 
the expression ‘under his own vine and fig tree,’ 
which means, ‘in his own house.’ 

“You have seen this fruit before, and know 


THE STORY OP PIGS 


29 


that it is a dried fig,” she said, as she took one 
from the bag. 

In the fresh state figs look very different 
from the dried figs of our markets. For one 
thing they are different in color. Some are 
green, some red, some purple, others yellow and 
still others dark, almost black. For there are 
more than a hundred varieties of figs. Fig 
trees grow from fifteen to twenty feet high. The 
leaves are large and deeply indented. The ripe 
fruit is pear-shaped. 

‘^You learned about the oasis in the desert the 
other day,” said Mother, “when we were talking 
about dates. Figs also are among the fruits 
found in the oasis, for figs require a hot climate. 
Figs are grown in fact in the regions that border 
the Mediterranean Sea, where the climate is 
hot and dry, but they must have moisture. Can 
you name some of these countries, Jerry?” 

Jerry’s eyes were watching the leaping flames, 
but he began to think of the map in his geog¬ 
raphy showing the great sea. 

“There are Italy and Greece,” he began 


30 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


slowly, trying to remember the list of names. 

‘^0 Jerry!” exclaimed Jenny. ^‘Don’t you 
remember? We had that for home work once.” 

^^Can you name them?” her mother asked. 

^^Yes, Mother,” Jenny replied. ‘‘Italy, Greece, 
Spain, Portugal, Turkey, northern Africa and 
parts of Asia.” 

“That is good,” assented Mother. “You 
know now where the countries are in the Old 
World where figs come from. The most delicious 
figs come from Smyrna, in Asia Minor. Figs 
are shipped all over the world from Smyrna.” 

“Did these figs come from Smyrna?” asked 
Jerry. 

“Yes,” said Mother, “these are Smyrna figs. 
But they are dried figs, you know, as are all the 
figs we eat raw. We have figs in syrup also from 
the southern states. From Texas we get Mag¬ 
nolia figs, and from other states the variety 
called Celestial. 

The fig does not develop from a flower, but 
contains the flowers in itself, where they are 
crowded thickly on its inner surface. 


THE STORY OP PIGS 


31 


Figs must be ^dead ripe’ before they are 
picked. They are laid out on boards in the sun 
to dry. Then they are packed in boxes for 
shipping.” 

Jerry tried hard to swallow a yawn, but could 
not. 

‘^Corne, children, I was forgetting the time. 
See, it is past nine o’clock.” 

“But isn’t there some more story?” pleaded 
the twins. 

“No, my story is finished. If you are good 
children I will tell you another story to-morrow 
night.” 

“May we finish the figs now. Mother?” 

Mother peered into the bag and then smiled. 

“You have finished them. See, the bag is 
quite empty.” 

“Oh, let me blow it,” begged Jerry. 

Bang ! went the bag— 

And then the twins went to bed. 


WHAT THE FRUIT DEALER SAID 

It was while they were passing Jerry’s favorite 
fruit store one day that the twins tugged tightly 
at their mother’s hand. 

“What’s that, Mother?” they cried in chorus, 
pointing to a yellow object in the window. 

“Which do you mean?” asked Mother, look¬ 
ing rather puzzled as a display of fruits from all 
over the world met her gaze. 

“That yellow ball in the corner,” they again 
chorused excitedly. 

Mother shook her head. 

“I don’t know,” she said. “Let us go in and 
ask the fruit dealer.” 

The fruit seller was very kind, and obligingly 
answered all their questions. 

“It’s a breadfruit,” he replied to their first 
query. “It is seldom seen on this side of the 
ocean, as it does not stand shipping very well.” 

“Where does it come from, then?” interrupted 
Jerry impatiently. 

“Breadfruit is one of the most important 

32 


WHAT THE FRUIT DEALER SAID 


33 



The Fruit Store Window 


fruit staples of the tropical islands in the Pacific 
Ocean. Breadfruit has been grown in southern 
Florida, but not in great quantity.” 

“Does breadfruit grow on a bush like cur¬ 
rants, or on the ground like strawberries, or 
how?” asked Jerry. 

“Neither, my little man,” smiled the fruit 
dealer. 

“Breadfruit is a sweet, starchy fruit that grows 
on a tropical tree. In shape, as you see, it is 
oval round, we might say. In the best varieties 
it is seedless. It has a thick, greenish rind. 
The fruit is usually gathered before it is fully 








34 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


ripe, as the flavor is much better at that stage.” 

“What kind of a tree does it grow on?” asked 
Jerry. 

“Breadfruit grows on a beautiful tree that 
reaches a height of thirty to sixty feet. There 
are no limbs at all on the lower trunk, but it 
has widely spreading upper branches. The 
leaves are large, often a foot in length. They 
are dark green and glossy, and deeply indented. 

“The fruit keeps on growing through the year 
in the warm climates where it is found, so that 
there is a constant supply of it in every season. 

“In the first stage of growth it is green, but 
as it ripens it turns brown and at last this 
yellow color that you see. It is about eight 
inches in diameter, and it grows in clusters of 
two or three. 

“The natives do not usually pick the fruit 
until they are ready to use it, and then it may 
be eaten immediately. It may also be baked, 
and this is done in an underground pit. It is 
usually eaten with sauces and sometimes it is 
ground into paste or flour, for future use. If 


WHAT THE FRUIT DEALER SAID 


35 


it is kept very long, it is quite apt to ferment. 

“The part that is good to eat is between the 
skin and the core. It tastes a little like fresh 
bread. The natives also make a very good 
pudding by mixing it with coconut milk. 

“The inner bark of the breadfruit tree,” he 
continued, “is used to make cloth. The wood, 
when dressed, looks something like mahogany, 
and is used in building boats and for furniture.” 

“Is that all?” questioned Jerry, as the man 
turned to wait on a customer. 

“Perhaps you will let them come again,” said 
the mother, when the fruit dealer returned to 
them. “They enjoy your stories very much.” 

The twins pointed to a bunch of bananas 
that hung in the window. “Will you tell us 
about these next time?” they asked eagerly. 

“Yes, if you can come to-morrow,” their 
friend replied. 

Having obtained their mother’s promise to 
let them come, they thanked the fruit dealer 
again, and danced home to tell their father the 
story of the breadfruit. 


THE NEXT MORNING 


The following day found the twins rushing 
through the processes of dressing and eating 
their breakfast. This was apt to be a tardy 
period of the day with them, but Mother had 
promised that they might go to the seller of 
fruits, and they were anxious to hear his wonder¬ 
ful story about the bananas. 

“l hope he won’t have many customers,” said 
Jerry, as he stood impatiently waiting for Jenny 
to button up her boots. One of the buttons 
came off, as she pulled hurriedly at them, and 
Jerry had a hard time to curb his impatience 
while Mother sewed it on. 

“You should not make such a wish,” said 
Mother. “Without customers he could not keep 
the store, which he does to make his living.” 

“Yes, I know that,” said Jerry. “Of course 
we want him to have plenty of customers; but 
we want plenty of time for the story too.” 

The twins hurried down the street, and were 
soon at the fruit store. 


36 


THE NEXT MORNING 


37 


“Well, my little friends?” inquired the fruit 
dealer pleasantly. 

“The bananas,” said Jerry, pointing to a 
bunch that hung near the window. “You prom¬ 
ised to tell us abodt them to-day.” 

“Oh, yes,” replied the dealer. “Come over 
here and sit down.” He led the way to the rear 
of the store, and the twins made themselves 
comfortable on the box that he indicated. The 
dealer seated himself on the only chair, placed 
at a vantage point where he could watch the 
entrance for possible customers, and began. 

“The banana is another fruit that may be 
had all the year round. Yet it is not an ancient 
fruit, like some of the others we use. It was 
scarcely known at all in the year 1870. 

“It may seem strange to think that bananas 
do not grow upon trees, but upon herbs or 
plants so tall and large that they look like 
trees. These plants have an underground stem 
that sends up sprouts called suckers that come 
to full growth in about two years. 

“These great plants reach a height of from ten 


38 


THE TWINS IN FEUITLAND 


to forty feet, although there are dwarf types 
only about four feet in height. The most widely 
known varieties average from twelve to twenty 
feet, with a diameter of twelve to twenty-four 
inches. The leaves are sij^ to twelve feet in 
length, and two feet or so in width. So you may 
imagine that rows and rows of these banana 
plants form aisles, with the huge leaves making 
a roof overhead, as they are planted in the 
tropical countries where they are grown. 

“The trees are somewhat like palms in ap¬ 
pearance, but the stalk is formed in a curious 
way, of long leaf-shafts growing from an under¬ 
ground stem. The plant comes to full growth 
in about two years.” 

Jerry and Jenny were listening breathlessly. 

“A plant made of leaves!” exclaimed Jerry. 

“Yes, it is a strange plant,” said the fruit 
dealer. “And it carries at the top a peculiar 
flower-bud or head, which is red or purple, more 
rarely pink or yellow. The leaves are folded 
closely into a thick spike. Small tubular flowers 
are hidden in the head which grow into—” 


THE NEXT MORNING 


39 



Each Trunk Has Only One Bunch of Bananas 


“Bananas!” cried Jerry excitedly. 

The fruit dealer smiled. 

“Yes, bananas,” he answered. “At first the 
great flower cluster bends downward, but as the 
fruits begin to grow, they turn upward.” 




















40 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


The children were greatly surprised to find 
that the bananas grow upward on the stem 
instead of hanging down as they had thought. 

“Each trunk carries only one bunch of ba¬ 
nanas,” continued the fruit seller. 

“How big a bunch?” inquired Jenny. 

“The bunches contain as many as fifty to a 
hundred bananas and they weigh from forty to 
one hundred pounds. That bunch,” he pointed 
to one hanging near the window, “is hanging 
upside down. On the tree the narrow ends 
point upward. Some of the fruits have been 
cut from the branch, but it still holds nearly 
sixty, as you would find if you should count 
them. I have seen bunches that held nearly 
three hundred fruits.” 

“Three hundred!” echoed Jerry, his eyes round 
with amazement. 

“That is unusual, of course,” went on their 
kind friend. “It is only in a hot, moist climate 
that the banana tree grows. Bananas are 
grown in many tropical countries, in fact the 
banana is the food plant that produces most 


THE NEXT MORNING 


41 


freely of all. It is native to the East Indies, 
but now it is grown in many tropical countries, 
such as the West Indies, the Amazon valley, 
California and Florida. The people of the 
United States and Canada alone use fifty mil¬ 
lion bunches of bananas a year.” 

“Fifty million bunches!” exclaimed Jerry. 
“Whew!” 

The dealer laughed. Just then a customer 
entered and he was forced to leave the twins 
for a few minutes. 

“Fifty million bunches!” said Jerry again, 
looking at Jenny. 

“You will want to know how to choose ba¬ 
nanas,” said the dealer, returning to the children. 
“The fruit is always cut green for shipping. 
It takes a week or more to ripen. It turns 
yellow by the time it reaches the market where 
it is to be sold. When fully ripe the yellow rind 
is speckled with brown spots. When the rind 
is partly brown, the fruit is over-ripe and it is 
not wholesome in that stage. In cutting, the 
fruit the stem should always be left on. It 


42 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


forms a natural seal to keep out dust and insects 
and to prevent decay. 

“The banana tree or shrub is useful for some¬ 
thing else besides its fruit,” continued the 
story-teller after a pause. “The stalks and 
leaves are usually thrown away, but the fibers 
and leaves of some species are saved, and made 
into mats, bags, baskets and roofing for houses.” 

“Do they make bananas into bread pud¬ 
ding?” inquired Jerry, remembering the story 
of the breadfruit. 

“No,” replied the dealer, with his ever ready 
smile. “The natives eat bananas baked in hot 
ashes, and—” he paused to make an emphatic 
gesture, much to the delight of the twins, “they 
are delicious!” 

“We’re going out to Grandma’s next week,’’ 
said Jenny, as they rose to go home. 

“I hope you’ll have a good time,” replied the 
dealer. “Come to see me when you get back.” 

“Will you tell us some more stories? ” 
whispered Jerry, edging up close to him. 

“Yes, if you like them,” said their friend. 


THE BANANA’S RELATION 

“It was a lovely story,” said the twins in 
unison. They had been very much excited over 
the fruit dealer’s story about the banana, and 
could not wait until dinner was over to pour it 
all into their mother’s sympathetic ears. 

“Did he mention the papaw?” she asked. 

“The papaw. Mother?” questioned the twins. 
Their faces expressed so much astonishment that 
their mother could not help laughing. 

“The papaw is a relation to the banana,” she 
explained, hugging each of the children in turn. 

“Oh!” cried Jerry. 

“Oh!” said Jenny. 

“Oh!” mimicked Mother. 

Then they all laughed. 

“Oh, do tell us more before dinner,” coaxed 
Jerry, who did not like to be kept waiting, if 
he thought a story was to be told. 

Mother finished scalding the milk for the 
twins’ favorite pudding, added a generous lump 
43 


44 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


of butter, put the mixture into a baking-dish 
and the baking-dish into the oven before reply¬ 
ing. Then she sat down to peel some apples, 
and began. 

“There are two fruits of this name. One 
grows wild in some of the northern states west 
of the Rockies, on a small tree. It is found as 
far north as Kansas and Michigan, New Jersey 
and western New York. The other is the fruit 
of a great herb or plant somewhat like a palm. 
It is native to southern Florida. It grows also 
in some of the other southern states and in 
tropical countries elsewhere. This palm-like 
plant carries its leaves in a whorl at the top of 
its tall stalk.” 

“Whorl, Mother?” asked the irrepressible 
Jerry. Jerry never forgot to question anything 
that he did not understand. Mother was al¬ 
ways pleased with this trait in her son, but 
there were words that even she could not be 
expected to know without consulting the 
dictionary. 

Mother laughed heartily. 


THE BANANA’S RELATION 


45 



The Banana-Like Papaw 


“I’m caught this time, Jerry. Run and get 
the big red dictionary.” 

Three heads bent eagerly over the dictionary, 
when Jerry brought it. Mother soon found the 
word whorl, and read triumphantly: “ 'Whorl 
. . . the arrangement of leaves in a circle around 
the stem.’ ” 

When this had been satisfactorily explained, 
Jerry carried the book carefully back to its shelf 
and Mother continued: 

“The northern papaw, or pawpaw, as it is 
sometimes called, is the one that belongs to the 








46 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


banana, or custard-apple family. The fruit is 
somewhat like the banana in shape, but thicker 
and shorter. It may be from two to six inches 
in length. It is covered with a wrinkled brown 
skin and it has seeds inside, a half inch to an 
inch long. The seeds are imbedded in the pulp, 
which is soft and sweet, with a mildly rich 
flavor. For all its size the papaw is called a 
berry by the botanists. 

“The papaw tree grows to a height of twenty 
to thirty feet. It is covered with a thin, fibrous 
back, that is, a bark made up of threads or 
fibres,” she added as Jerry looked up question- 
ingly. “This fibrous bark is used in making 
fish nets. The wood is too soft and coarse to 
be of much use.” 

“What is the other papaw like?” asked 
Jenny. 

“The southern papaw has a fruit more like a 
muskmelon, with the ‘musky’ flavor very strong. 
This tropical plant belongs to the passion flower 
family. Some kinds of magnolias look like 
this southern papaw plant also. This shows 


THE BANANA’S RELATION 


47 


that the papaw is related to other tropical 
plants.” 

“What does it look like?” asked Jerry. 

“This southern papaw is shaped like a 
cylinder,” said his mother. “It varies in size 
and weight. It may be about like a small 
basket muskmelon, up to very large. Some 
specimens weigh twenty pounds. It has a 
smooth skin, yellow or orange. The seeds are 
scattered through the fruit, as they are in a 
melon.” 

“Is it good to eat?” asked Jenny. 

“It is eaten as a breakfast food with sugar, 
lemon juice or salt and pepper, as you like it 
seasoned. It is also used as a dessert fruit, 
sliced, with cream. Then it is made into jam 
and pickles. The green fruit is boiled and served 
as a vegetable. It is a little like squash.” 

“The southern papaw is called the melon 
papaw. The flesh is like that of the musk¬ 
melon, with the ‘musky’ flavor very strong. It 
looks and tastes, in fact, like the cantaloupe. 

“This melon papaw belongs to the passion 


48 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


flower family. It has one property that it 
shares with only a few other fruits. This tropical 
fruit contains a milky juice in which is a ferment 
called vegetable pepsin. It has an action like 
that of the digestive fluid.” 

A sound of pudding sputtering in the oven 
sent Mother hastily to see if it was boiling over, 
while the twins hastened to pick up the apple 
peelings that she had dropped in her haste. 

Hurry, and lay the table. Dinner is just 
ready,” Mother commanded, when the pudding 
was deemed safe enough to permit conversation. 

For once, the twins did not argue, but started 
to obey, their minds meanwhile busy with the 
story of the banana’s new relation. 


OFF TO THE FARM 

AU was bustle and excitement—the twins 
were off to Grandma’s for the spring and sum¬ 
mer months. It was usually only the summer 
that they spent with their grandparents on the 
farm. But Jerry had been ill all winter, and so 
Mother had decided that a few extra months in 
the countiy would do both the children good, 
for (like Mary’s little lamb) where one twin 
went, the other was sure to go. 

The twins were up early. After a light meal. 
Mother hurried them away to the station to 
catch the train. She had promised them a real 
breakfast on the train, for, as Jerry said, “We 
must have lunch or something before we reach 
Grandma’s.” Then, too, breakfast on the train 
would be a novelty to them. 

“What shall we have for breakfast?” asked 
Mother. 

The small luggage was safely disposed of in a 
seat in the day coach, and the twins and Mother 
went into the dining car. 

49 


50 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


Jerry pretended to eye the menu critically. 
Then he handed it to his mother, ‘‘i’ll take 
grapefruit, toast and marmalade, and coffee. 
Strong coffee.” he said in a pompous voice, 
imitating his father. 

Mother and Jenny laughed. The only other 
diner, an old gentleman seated at the next table, 
laughed heartily. 

“Well said, little man. But perhaps Mother 
wouldn’t approve of the coffee.” 

Mrs. Lancaster laughed and shook her head 
at Jerry. 

“We’ll say milk instead,” she amended. 

“Why, that would hardly go with grapefruit,” 
laughed the old gentleman again. “The acid 
would curdle the milk.” 

“Curdle the milk?” Jerry was all attention 
at once. He had a reporter’s keenness for scent¬ 
ing a story. 

“a grapefruit is a citrus fruit, like an orange 
or a lemon,” continued the old gentleman. 

Before our modern agriculturists started ex¬ 
perimenting, this fruit used to be much more 


OFF TO THE FARM 


51 



bitter than it is now. The pulp is very much 
like that of either of the two other fruits I men¬ 
tioned, but is coarser and the juice is still 
somewhat bitter. 

“it is called a grapefruit, because it grows in 
clusters like a bunch of grapes. The round- 
topped trees grow as high as thirty feet; rarely 
below twenty feet. They have glossy, dark green 
leaves. The fruit usually measures from four 
to seven inches, and weighs anywhere from ore 









52 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


to twelve pounds. It is usually eaten with 
sugar and sharpens the appetite.” 

Jerry put down the piece of toast he was eat¬ 
ing long enough to inquire, “Where does grape¬ 
fruit come from?” 

“it was first found in the Malayan and Poly¬ 
nesian Islands,” continued their new friend. 
“But it is grown in many tropical climates now. 
It was introduced into Florida by the Spaniards 
in the sixteenth century. 

“There are two kinds of grapefruit, the round 
fruits, called pomeloes, and the pear-shaped ones, 
called shaddocks. The shaddocks are really not 
used for eating. They are too sour. The natives 
use the juice to wash their floors with, because 
the odor drives away the flies.” 

He paused and looked at his watch. “Really, 
I didn’t mean to tell you a story,” he exclaimed, 
as he rose to leave the dining-car. 

“I’m so glad you did, though,” Jerry called 
after him. 


THE PEACH-BLOSSOM FAIRY 

Jerry awoke with a start. Jenny was shaking 
him vigorously. 

^^Come on, Lazy-bones!” she cried. “The sun 
will burn your eyes out.” 

^^What’s your hurry?” yawned Jerry lazily, 
stretching himself. 

“Why, the sun is out, and there’s such a 
lovely, blue sky!” exclaimed his twin im¬ 
patiently. “We couldn’t go out yesterday, you 
know, on account of that terrible storm.” 

This reminded Jerry of the good time that he 
had missed on the previous day. With a bound 
he was out of bed. 

The twins ate a hurried breakfast and were 
soon out in the orchard playing. 

After a while the sunbeams grew quite warm. 
The twins tired of playing and chasing one 
another round and round the orchard, and went 
to rest in the shade of a peach tree. 

“The pretty blossoms will soon be out,” said 
Jerry, looking up. 


53 


54 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 



The Peach Blossoms 


“There’s one out already,” cried Jenny ex¬ 
citedly, pointing to one of the lowest branches. 

“Yes, I’m here first,” said a little, squeaky 
voice. 

The twins jumped. They looked up at the 
tree again, and there, on the branch where the 
lonely blossom had been, was the funniest little 
man all dressed in pink and white. 

Where did you come from?” chorused the 
twins in amazement. “And who are you?” 

The little fellow laughed. “One question at a 







THE PEACH-BLOSSOM FAIRY 


55 


time.” He bowed politely, and swept his little 
green cap from his head. “l am the Peach- 
Blossom Fairy,” he said. 

**Oh! oh!” cried Jenny. don’t believe in 
fairies.” 

Jerry whispered, “Hush!” quite sharply and 
Jenny stopped to listen. 

“I have always lived here,” the fairy con¬ 
tinued. “But this is the first time that I have 
been out. 

“My great, great, great grandparents, for gen¬ 
erations back, came from Asia, and were members 
of the famous Rose family,” he went on solemnly. 
“They did not mind the cold weather when 
they were young, as it seldom was frosty like it 
is in this country.” 

He shivered as a cool breeze blew, and drew 
his little pink coat closer about him. Then he 
continued: 

“Most of their children and grandchildren 
are now living in the United States and Canada. 
There fame as a western world plant is due to 
the fact that the climate and soil of this country 


56 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


agree with them. Also there are improved 
methods of culture of late years. 

“The nectarine family is a first cousin of our 
family,” he added, “though the nectarines do 
not wear a coat of fuzz like we do. 

“The plum and the almond also are related 
to us. 

“Sometimes peaches are grown from seeds and 
are kept in a house called a nursery. When they 
have grown into young trees, they are sold and 
planted in the open, where they may reach a 
height of from fifteen to twenty feet. 

“Some peaches are called freestones and some 
others are called clingstones, according to the 
way the stone is set in the pulp.” 

“We had clingstone peaches for supper last 
night,” said Jenny. 

The little man smiled and waved his tiny 
arms about. 

“You will observe that these trees bear long, 
slender leaves. Soon delicate, lovely, pink and 
white blossoms will appear. When the trees 
are about three years old, they begin to bear 


THE PEACH-BLOSSOM FAIRY 


57 


fruit. We are coming out early this year. My 
brothers and sisters may be out to-morrow if 
the sun keeps warm. They are just ready to 
throw off their green covers and spring out of 
their beds. 

“If they’d only whitewash the trees in the fall 
or the winter, we wouldn’t come out so early. 
Then we wouldn’t get bitten so by Jack Frost.” 

“I’ll tell Grandpa about that,” replied Jerry 
emphatically, as he rose to go. 

Jenny was leaning over shaking him. 

“0, Jerry, do wake up. Grandma has been 
calling us to dinner for a long time.” 

“Where’s the fairy?” he asked, looking around. 

“Oh, I dreamt about a fairy, too! Was yours 
a Peach-Blossom Fairy?” 

“Yes,” replied Jerry. 

He looked up to where the first little bud was 
still nodding its head in the breeze. 

“It was only a dream,” he said. 

The little bud nodded its head again. 



SOME “PEACHY” RELATIONS 

The twins ate their dinner in silence, each 
being busy with thoughts of the little man 
with the pink-and-white coat and pale green 
cap. Their grandparents had all their atten¬ 
tion centered on a business discussion during 
the meal, and the unusual quietness of the twins 
passed unremarked. 

But as soon as the dinner was cleared away, 
the suppressed excitement of the children broke 
loose. 

“Whatever is the matter, Jerry and Jenny?” 

58 



SOME “PEACHY” RELATIONS 


59 


inquired Grandma at last. “What are you talk¬ 
ing about?” 

The twins were soon pouring their story into 
her ears. 

“He was a lovely fairy,” said Jerry, “and so 
polite.” 

“He wore the loveliest pink-and-white coat, 
and a dear little green cap,” added Jenny. “And 
he said the nectarine family was a first cousin of 
theirs. Grandma. What are nectarines?” 

Grandma finished hanging the shining pans 
in a row before replying. 

“Nectarines are also members of the Rose 
family, and very closely related to the peach. 
They are half peach and half almond. Their 
native home is in southwestern Asia. As your 
little fairy said, they have no fuzz, but a smooth, 
glossy surface. Otherwise they are very much 
like peaches. 

“Another fruit, which somewhat resembles the 
peach, is the apricot. This is another member 
of the Rose family. It is cultivated in tem¬ 
perate regions like the peach and the nectarine. 


60 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


but is in reality a native of Armenia, Persia and 
Africa. 

“Apricots grow on a low tree, with heart- 
shaped leaves. The fruit is juicy, sweet and 
yellow. The apricot looks a good deal like a 
peach, though it is smaller. The stone of the 
fruit contains a bitter kernel, from which oil is 
extracted. The French make it into a kind of 
liqueur or wine, which they enjoy very much. 

“The apricot is a good crop only in California 
in the United States; but enough are produced 
in this single state to supply the whole country 
with dried and fresh apricots. They are in 
season from June to August. They should weigh 
about a dozen to the pound. 

“The apricot is grown in many parts of the 
world, however, in the date oases of the Sahara 
desert, in northern India, in Thibet and in 
western China.” 

The clock in the kitchen chimed four, as 
Grandma finished speaking. 

“Good gracious, children! Four o’clock! 
Why, how the time has flown! I promised to 


SOME “PEACHY” RELATIONS 


61 


make Grandpa some Johnny cake for supper.” 

She jumped up as she spoke and bustled into 
the house. Supper was always at five o’clock, 
and preparations were soon under way. 

“I love Johnnycake,” said Jerry, artfully 
watching the pan as it slid into the oven. 

“So do I,” added Jenny, as Grandma pushed 
the mixing bowl across the table. 

Supper was ready by five o’clock, and the 
twins raced each other to the barn to call their 
grandfather. 

“Do hurry,” said Jenny impetuously. 

“There’s Johnnycake,” Jerry whispered, pull¬ 
ing at his hand. 

So Grandpa hastened. 


OUR BEST-KNOWN FRIEND 


Grandma sent the twins, the next morning, 
to the mail box, which swung on the post by 
the gate. Jerry liked to lean on the gate and 
listen to it as it creaked back and forth in the 
wind. To-day they met the postman, and he, 
good-natured fellow that he was, handed the 
letters and papers to Jerry with a cheery, “How 
d’you like the country, Buster?” 

Jerry smiled. “Very well, thank you,” he 
answered politely. 

“ ‘An apple a day 
Keeps the doctor away.’ ” 
read Grandma, from one of the pamphlets that 
Jerry handed her with the letters. “So it does. 
Apples are one of the most nutritious fruits, 
and a wonderful blood tonic. The apple is one 
of the oldest, most highly esteemed, and most 
valuable of our hardy fruits. It has been cul¬ 
tivated from ancient times in southwestern Asia 
and southeastern Europe.” 

62 


OUE BEST-KNOWN FEIEND 


63 


The twins were listening eagerly as usual. 

“Let’s sit in the hammock,” Grandma sug¬ 
gested, “and I will tell you something of the 
history of the apple.” 

Grandma knew well Jerry’s weakness for 
stories and encouraged it. 

“Oh, how lovely!” he cried, springing up to 
carry Grandma’s cushion to the hammock, 
which was swung under shady trees at the side 
of the house. 

“The ancient Greeks and Romans had many 
varieties of apples,” continued Grandma, settling 
herself comfortably among the cushions. “It is 
said that the Romans introduced apples into 
Britain at the time of the Roman conquest, 
but many people believe that they grew there 
even before that. It is true that the Romans 
may have brought some of their favorite kinds, 
but the early Britons used and liked the apple 
both for fruit and beverage. The beverage was 
the juice, which they pressed out and made into 
cider. 

“At any rate, one variety of apple, the Pear- 


64 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 



The Story about Apples 


main, dates back to the year 1200; The Golden 
Pippin was famous during the reign of King 
Henry VIII. 

‘Tn the old days in England there was an 
apple called the Costard. It is in fact the first 







OUR BEST-KNOWN FRIEND 


65 


kind of apple mentioned in the early records. 
Large crops of this apple were grown in the 
thirteenth century. The name coster-monger, 
which we give to people who go about the streets 
and alleys selling fruits and vegetables, comes 
from the name of this variety of apples. T his 
is because in those early times people who sold 
apples were called coster-mongers. 

“In the early days American colonists, going 
from the eastern settlements to the western 
frontier, planted apples everywhere. Johnny 
Appleseed was the nickname given to a man 
who is remembered for his zeal in planting 
apples. He went about Ohio and Pennsyl¬ 
vania on this mission. Many orchards in these 
states have grown from seeds of his planting. 
The people felt that he did a good work in 
encouraging the cultivation of this fruit. 

“Some varieties of apples will keep for a full 
year; some others even for two years. You know 
how grandfather always keeps boxes of apples 
in the cellar and how you enjoy eating them 
when you go there in the fall and winter.” 


66 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


Both the twins nodded eagerly. Grandma 
went on: 

‘‘At the present time the United States of 
America is the greatest apple-growing country in 
the world, producing about two hundred million 
bushels a year.” 

“What a lot of apples!” exclaimed Jerry. 

Grandma smiled. 

“The apple is rapidly becoming the chief fruit 
of Canada, also,” she went on. “There is no 
need for me to describe the tree, its blossoms 
and fruit. Here they are,” looking up, “the 
trees in blossom right before you.” 

The three admired the scene silently: the 
straight trees with their rounded tops and 
spreading branches; the shiny, oval, bright green 
leaves; the exquisite, white and pink blossoms. 

“There are hundreds of varieties of the fruit 
and each variety differs in taste, shape, size 
and color,” added Grandma. “But most vari¬ 
eties are smooth-skinned and juicy, with a solid 
pulp centered with a core containing hard, 
horny seed cells, and oval, brownish seeds.” 


OUR BEST-KKOWN FRIEND 


67 


"I love Uncle Henry’s orchard,” broke in 
Jenny somewhat irrelevantly. 

Grandma laughed good-naturedly. 

“Yes, it is very pretty in the spring. But 
that is about all the trees are useful for. Your 
uncle cannot expect a bumper crop of fruit from 
his gnarled, old, picturesque trees. Apple trees 
require proper cultivation, and planting in rows 
from thirty to forty feet apart.” 

“They make dandy hide-and-seek places,” 
sighed Jenny, busy with happy memories. 

“If you were to visit an apple orchard you 
might see the growers starting the little green 
shoots that are to grow into great apple trees, 
from tiny seeds. When these little shoots have 
pushed their way through the soil up into the 
air, the growers cut slits in their bark and slip 
buds from hardy trees of the type they wish to 
grow, into the slits. Then they tie the bark 
tightly around the bud and seal it in with wax. 
The bud soon sprouts and the shoots that grow 
from the tree are all trimmed away, so that the 
apples will be of the variety of the strange bud. 


68 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“Apple trees begin to bear at five years. They 
have to be trimmed and sprayed to keep them 
healthy and free from insect pests. 

“Apples that fall from the tree are called wind¬ 
falls and are used for drying, canning or for 
making cider. The apples shipped are alwaj's 
picked from the tree and handled carefully. 
They are of different colors. Some are green 
when ripe, others are red or yellow.” 

The distant sound of “Whoa!” made Grand¬ 
ma jump hastily from her seat among the 
cushions. 

“Good gracious, children!” she exclaimed. 
“There’s Grandpa home from the field. I must 
go and get supper ready.” 

“Oh dear,” signed Jerry. “Grandma never 
finishes her stories.” 

“Give me a swing,” answered Jenny lazily, 
cuddling herself down among the cushions in 
the hammock. 


GRANDMA TELLS A STORY 

It was the day following Grandma’s story 
about the apple, that the twins came home 
from the south pasture laden with branches. 

“See what we found, Grandma!” called Jerry 
triumphantly, as he neared the kitchen door, 
and waved the delicate wild bloom aloft. 

“Isn’t it lovely?” questioned Jenny, dancing 
around her twin excitedly. 

“Wild crabapple, sure enough,” said Grand¬ 
ma, coming to the door and sniffing the spicy 
fragrance. “Where did you find it?” 

“Down in a corner by the fence, in the south 
pasture,” answered Jerry, as he handed the 
blossoms to his Grandma to put in water. 

“What kind of tree was it?” questioned Grand¬ 
ma, as she took the branches of deep rose, white 
and pink blossoms, and sniffed again their deli¬ 
cious, spicy odor. 

“It was a fairly tall tree,” answered Jenny. 

“Tall!” repeated Jerry scornfully. “Just like 

69 


70 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 



Crabapples and Crabapple Blossoms 


a girl! It was a low tree, Grandma, more like 
a bush.” 

Jenny did not answer back, but looked as 
though she was not very well pleased. 

“It is a wild crabapple. It grows twenty to 
thirty feet high,” said Grandma. “It is not a 
tall tree.” 












GRANDMA TELLS A STORY 


71 


“The bark is reddish-brown with scales on 
it,” Jerry rushed on to explain, proud of him¬ 
self for being observant. 

“Yes, the bark is scaly and angular,” answered 
Grandma. “There are thorns on the twigs, 
you would notice, and the leaves are sharp- 
toothed, too, but blunt or dull-pointed. The 
leaves are three or four inches long.” 

“Yes,” broke in Jenny, eager to restore her¬ 
self to favor once again in her brother’s eyes. 
“But they are soft as velvet on the underside.” 

“Yes,” Granny smiled. “The wild tree is not 
worth a great deal, however, except for its beauty. 
Its wood is made into tool handles. The culti¬ 
vated crabapple is more useful because the fruit 
can be used.” 

“Isn’t crab a funny name for an apple?” 
laughed Jenny suddenly. 

“The fruit really gave it that name, by its 
puckery feeling in the mouth, and hard, sour 
taste,” said Grandma. “It is not good raw.” 

“Crabapples make delicious jelly, though,” 
said Jenny. 


72 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


Jerry looked up. He remembered the glasses 
of crabapple jelly that Grandma sent him when 
he was sick. 

“They do,” he laughed joyfully. 

Grandma rose hastily from the step where she 
was sitting, as the smell of baking bread floated 
out through the open dodr. “Sometimes you 
will find mistletoe growing on wild Crabtrees,” 
she said, with a twinkle in her eye. “You run 
along and have another look at it while I take 
my bread out of the oven. There’ll be a fresh 
currant bun and a glass of milk waiting for you 
when you come back.” 

She entered the kitchen to finish her baking. 
The twins started on a race to the south pasture. 

Their faces beamed with happiness when they 
came back. “Grandpa showed us the mistle¬ 
toe,” said Jenny. “It has lots of green leaves 
and tiny yellow flowers.” 

“Yes,” said Grandma. “And after the flowers 
there are white berries that the birds like to 
eat. And you know about the mistletoe hung 
at Christmas time and the kissing under it.” 


GRANDPA’S NATURE LESSON 


“It isn’t.” 

Jerry planted his small feet sturdily on the 
ground, threw back his head, folded his arms 
behind his back and gazed scornfully at his 
sister. Poor Jenny was always in the wrong. 
“It isn’t a crabapple tree,” he repeated scorn¬ 
fully. 

“Well, Granny said—” began Jenny hotly. 

A pleasant voice cut short her sentence. It 
was their grandfather, who, seeing Jerry’s defiant 
attitude, as he was passing across the field, 
came closer to find out the cause of the trouble. 

“What did Granny say?” Grandfather asked 
pleasantly. 

“Granny said we would find another wild 
crabapple tree in this field, and Jerry says this 
isn’t one,” Jenny exclaimed, with a little pout. 

Her grandfather laughed. 

“So that was the argument, eh?” he replied. 
“No, this isn’t a wild crabapple tree. It’s a 
chokecherry.” 


73 


74 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“A chokecherry!” exclaimed Jerry, his curi¬ 
osity overcoming his anger. “Will it choke 
you?” 

Their grandfather laughed aloud at this. 
Then he answered, “People say that if you eat 
the small, bitter puckery fruit that grows on 
this tree and then drink milk, it will choke you. 
But don’t try it,” he added hastily, remembering 
Jerry’s love for an experiment. 

“Aren’t they like the other cherries?” asked 
Jenny, who had been hopping around on first 
one foot and then the other while her grand¬ 
father was talking. 

“The birds like one kind as well as the other, 
but you would not,” he answered. “The wild 
ones make very good wine for humans, too, and 
the cultivated ones make nice canned fruit. The 
leaves of the chokecherry are broader and the 
odor is not very pleasant. 

“You’ll find a cultivated cherry tree in bloom 
down in the south corner of the orchard, if you 
look as you go back. It is a beautiful little 
tree, with its white blossoms, dark green leaves. 


GRANDPA’S NATURE LESSON 


75 



The Twins Learn about the Chokecherry 


and smooth, brown bark. The cherry blossom 
is the national emblem of Japan, and the beauty 
of a cherry orchard in bloom in that country 
has often been the theme of a song or story. 

“In July, the small, plumlike fruit of bright 














76 


THE TWINS list FRUITLAND 


or light red, or purple-black shows up against 
the leaves, and the birds hold many a picnic 
among their branches, picking the sour as well 
as the sweet varieties. When picked by humans, 
they have to be handled carefully, as they bruise 
easily and cannot be shipped long distances. 

“The cherry is an ancient fruit. We read that 
it came to Europe from Asia sixty-eight years 
before Christ, and was introduced into Great 
Britain twenty-six years after. Eight varieties 
were known to the Romans, but there are many, 
many more now. 

“The fruit is not the only part of the tree that 
is useful. The wood, especially of the black 
varieties, is fine grained and beautiful, and is 
used in making furniture.” 

He paused. “I think that is all I can tell you 
about the cherry. And now, instead of arguing 
any more, run and take a look at the cherry tree 
in the south corner of the orchard.” 


JENNY RENEWS AN ACQUAINTANCE 

“If you are very good,” said Granny, with 
emphasis on the very, “I will take you to visit 
the little girl you used to play with last 
summer.” 

“Oh! How lovely!” exclaimed Jenny, danc¬ 
ing up and down. “Do you mean Connie? 
When can we go?” 

The questions fairly tumbled over each other, 
as Jenny kept up her lively little jig, first on one 
foot, then the other. 

Granny’s eyes sparkled in reflection of Jenny’s 
excitement. 

“We’ll go to-morrow afternoon, if it doesn’t 
rain,” she answered. 

The twins ran off to play, but kept anxiously 
watching the sky for the signs that their grandpa 
told them meant a fine day on the morrow. 

“It isn’t going to rain,” Jenny told her 
grandmother when she went to kiss her good 
night. But the early morning was cloudy, and 
Jenny nearly dissolved into tears at the sight of 
77 


78 


THE TWINS IN FEUITLAND 


it. By noon, however, the clouds began to lift 
and part, and soon the sun came streaming 
brightly through. 

As soon as dinner was over. Grandpa hitched 
Black Bess to the best buggy. Grandmother 
and the twins jumped in and with a “Giddap,” 
to the mare, the trio went jogging along down 
the lane. 

The air was crisp and cool, and the road 
stretched like a broad band of ribbon before 
them. On either side it was lined with cool 
green grass, and hedges where the purple of the 
lilac was just beginning to peep through. It 
was a day to make one glad to be alive. 

The twins were enthusiastic. They chatted 
merrily about the beauty ahead, for they had 
been taught to appreciate the glories of nature. 

That is the house,” said their grandmother, 
pointing to a low, rambling farmhouse partly 
hidden in a grove of white blossoms, some 
distance ahead. 

“See all the apple trees!” cried Jerry ex¬ 
citedly. 


JENNY RENEWS AN ACQUAINTANCE 79 

“Wait till you do see them,” laughed his 
grandmother mysteriously. 

After the greetings were over, and Jenny wan¬ 
dered off with Connie to tell and hear a year’s 
secrets. Grandma took Jerry to a hammock 
under the trees. 

“But they are not apple trees,” said Jerry, 
looking up at the blossoms. 

Granny smiled. 

“No, they are pear trees, dear.” 

“At a distance pear and apple trees look 
much alike, but that is not strange, because 
pears are like apples in many ways. They belong 
to the same family—the Rose—and are culti¬ 
vated in much the same manner. The pear 
tree, however, is harder to grow than the apple.” 

“I like pears better than apples,” said Jenny. 

“Pears are more juicy than apples, and they 
have a more mellow flavor,” said Grandma. 
“The pear is cone-shaped, while the apple is 
round. Both have a core with seeds. The 
main difference between the two is that there 
are woody fibers in the pulp of the pear not 


80 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


found in the apple. These woody fibers make 
the gritty substance you notice when eating the 
pear.” 

She stopped speaking and broke off a spray 
of blossoms that hung down. 

“I love its long, oval leaves and delicately 
tinted, cream-white blossoms even more than 
apple blossoms,” she said. 

“So do I,” said Jenny. “They are lovely!” 

“Pears are the fourth orchard fruit in im¬ 
portance in the United States,” she went on, 
noticing that Jerry stood waiting expectantly 
for more. “The fruit is native to Great Britain, 
temperate zones of Europe and western Asia, 
but it has found this climate agreeable.” 

“Pears like our climate,” laughed Jerry. 

“Pears are found in every state in the Union,” 
nodded Grandma. “Canada also produces large 
crops of pears and exports many to Great 
Britain. Pears do not keep so well as apples, 
but some varieties keep better than others.” 

“Mother kept pears in winter,” said Jenny. 

“Yes,” replied Grandma. “They were winter 


JENNY RENEWS AN ACQUAINTANCE 


81 



There Are Many Varieties of Pears 


pears. They are called Nells, and they will 
keep three or four months. But they are hard 
to find, for not many are grown. And pears, 
unlike other fruits, improve by indoor ripening.” 

“We had some Bartlett pears the other day,” 
said Jerry. 

“Bartlett pears are perhaps the best of all 
pears grown for the markets,” said Grandma. 
“The Kieffer is a good pear. It may be yellow, 
russet or brown. The Seckel is an American 
variety. It is small and thick-skinned.” 

“For packing, the fruits are picked before they 









82 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


are really ripe, and packed in boxes or stored in 
cool rooms to ripen. If allowed to ripen on the 
tree they have a better flavor. 

“You might like to hear about another rela¬ 
tion of the pear,” said Grandma, when her 
friend left them for a few moments to prepare 
tea. “There is not much to tell about it. It is 
called the quince.” 

“Oh, yes. Mother uses quinces to make jelly,” 
Jerry interrupted eagerly. “They’re yellow.” 

Grandma smiled at his eagerness. “Yes, 
they’re yellow. They are used only for jelly 
and preserves, and are never eaten raw. When 
fresh they pucker the mouth.” 

“Like chokecherries,” Jerry interrupted 
again, remembering his grandpa’s remarks on 
that fruit. 

“The quince grows on a shrub or small tree, 
and is also a member of the Rose family. In 
reality, it is half pear and half apple, and its 
shape resembles both.” 


THE TWILIGHT STORY 


‘‘Did your grandmother tell you about the 
other member of the pear family?” Grandpa 
asked Jerry that night, after listening to his 
carefully told story of the afternoon’s nature 
lesson. 

Jerry’s eyes popped open wide at this. 

“Another relation!” he cried. 

“The alligator pear,” answered his grandpa. 

Jerry’s eyes popped open even wider than 
before. 

“Do tell about it!” he exclaimed eagerly. 
“Wait until I get Jenny,” he added, thinking 
how cross she had been about not hearing Mrs. 
Collins’s story. 

He ran quickly off, and soon returned with 
Jenny. 

“Now the alligator pear,” he commanded 
breathlessly, pulling his grandpa down onto a 
stone near the creek where he was watering his 
horses before taking them in for the night. 

“This is a tropical fruit, and not an orchard 

83 


84 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 



pear like ours, but belongs to a different 
family,” Grandpa began. 

“In California, Florida, Hawaii, in Mexico, 
Central America, the West Indies and in most 
tropical countries it grows wild, on an evergreen 
tropical tree. It is a large, egg-shaped fruit, 
and weighs usually from one to two pounds.” 

“Larger than our pears,” said Jenny timidly, 
knowing her grandpa did not like to be in¬ 
terrupted when he was telling them stories. 

“The proper name of this fruit is the avocado. 
The only thing about it that is like the pear is 







THE TWILIGHT STORY 


85 


the shape of the oval varieties. It belongs to a 
different family entirely, and it does not taste at 
all like the orchard pear. 

“Neither is the skin like that of an alligator, 
for it is smooth. It is supposed that this name 
was given the avocado by someone who thought 
it a pear from its shape, and expected it to taste 
like a pear. Finding it was not the sweet, juicy 
fruit that we all know and like so much, may 
have been a disappointment. 

“But the avocado is a fine fruit of its kind 
and it is highly valued by those who know it. 
It brings a high price in northern markets. 

“When it is ripe, the rind is dark green out¬ 
side. The flesh or pulp of the fruit is somewhat 
like firm butter, only it is a light green color. 
It contains a large, round kernel.” 

“Like a peach,” whispered Jerry. 

His grandpa appeared not to notice this in¬ 
terruption, but he looked at Jerry with an 
amused smile and a slight shake of the head 
before he continued. 

“Like a plum stone, only larger. The sailors 


86 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


call it ‘midshipmans’ butter’; some other people 
call it ‘vegetable butter.’ But everyone likes its 
flavor, and it may be eaten either with sugar 
and cream, or with pepper and salt.” 

“Jerry! Jenny! Time for bed.” Grandma’s 
voice floated down the lane from the house. 

Slowly, with an appealing look at their grand¬ 
pa, the twins rose to obey. 

“Coming,” he called for them, and turned his 
face away from the pleading look in their eyes. 

“The little tykes,” Grandpa chuckled, when 
they had gone up the lane. “They don’t like to 
go to bed.” 


SUGAR PLUMS 


It was the end of August before the twins went 
to see Connie and her mother again. They 
rolled on a motor rug spread on the ground, 
while the two elder people sat in the hammock, 
near by. 

‘T must give you a basket of our sugar plums 
to take home,” said their hostess, rising. “They 
have been a good crop this year, and I know the 
twins will enjoy them. Would they like to pick 
a basket?” 

“Sugarplums!” exclaimed Jerry, in amaze¬ 
ment, rolling off the rug into a sitting position. 

“Yes, sugar plums, silly,” laughed his twin. 
“Connie told me all about them. They aren’t 
candy sugarplums, you goose,” seeing that Jerry 
still looked bewildered. “Christmas sugar¬ 
plums don’t grow on trees. These do. Come 
and see.” 

Jerry needed no second invitation. He was 
on his feet with a bound, and racing the others 
to the patch where the plum trees grew. 

87 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“Those little, greenish yellow ones are sugar 
plums,” said Connie, pointing to a few trees 
that grew apart from the others. 

“Here’s the basket, Connie,” called her 
mother. “Perhaps Jerry could shake them down 
by climbing the fence.” 

Jerry, perched on the top rail of the snake 
fence, shook the trees merrily, and the girls 
picked the plums up from the ground. 

“I’m glad they aren’t rocks, or pumpkins,” 
he shouted, as the plums pattered down about 
his head. 

He caught one coming down and popped it 
into his mouth. “They are sweet,” he shouted 
again. 

“They are,” answered his grandmother, who 
had just come up to see if the basket was full. 

“Did you know that plums are cousins of the 
peach, and cousins too of the rose? There is 
another variety of yellow plum called the yellow 
Burbank, which is very much like a peach. It 
is peach size and somewhat the same color, but 
its skin is smooth and unwrinkled. 


SUGAR PLUMS 


89 



Gathering Sugar Plums 


“When ripe, we have plums that are all shades 
of red, yellow, green and purple. These vary in 
size from a large egg to a small cherry, but all 
have a smooth skin and a smooth inside stone 
or pit. 















90 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“European, Japanese and American plums are 
all cultivated in North America, and there is 
usually a good crop everywhere. 

“The plum is the third orchard fruit of im¬ 
portance in North America. The apple is first, 
and the peach second. 

“As well as I can remember, the plum first 
grew in Syria, but it came to Europe many 
centuries ago. Immense quantities of the fruit, 
dried, are brought over from France and Ger¬ 
many. France also sends daintily packed boxes 
of candied plums and greengages. Ripe plums 
come here all the way from South Africa. 

“Another kind of plum is a small, roundish, 
yellow-green or white one, called the bullace. 
It is excellent for tarts or jam. The damson is 
another small plum, still better. It is a tiny 
blue fruit, named after Damascus, the place 
where the native trees grew before the time of 
Christ. The juice of this fruit was much used 
in making dyes about sixty years ago. Rut 
now chemicals have taken its place, and damsons 
are used only for jam and preserves. 


SUGAR PLUMS 


91 


“California has the right climate and condi¬ 
tion for certain varieties of plums,” she con¬ 
tinued. “Plums are cultivated in fact all along 
the Pacific coast and in some of the eastern 
states, especially New York. Japan has sent 
plums to our markets since 1870. Plums are 
in season from June to October. 

“The largest plums are those developed by 
Burbank, The smallest are the damsons, and 
the wild plums, which sometimes are not much 
larger than cherries, like which they look.” 

“Hadn’t we better go now. Granny?” asked 
Jenny. “Connie’s mother has been waiting a 
long time in the hammock for us.” 

Granny started suddenly. 

“How stupid of me to be lecturing you,” she 
said. 

“We enjoyed it,” answered Connie politely. 

Her mother laughed. 

“I know the children were interested in your 
lecture, as you called it. Their faces showed it.” 

The children did not answer. They were too 
busy with the plate of sandwiches before them. 


THE TWINS VISIT CONNIE 

“How would you like to visit Connie for a 
few days before you go home?” asked their 
grandma, a few days after they had been picking 
sugar plums. 

“That would be lovely,” agreed the twins in 
one breath. “We will be here only another 
three weeks.” 

“Yes. I think that Jerry will be quite able 
to return to school at the beginning of the 
term,” said Grandma. “The fresh air, with 
plenty of milk and eggs, and exercise, have made 
a strong boy of him.” 

“It is aU arranged with Mrs. Collins, if you 
want to go,” she continued, returning to the 
subject of the proposed visit. 

“Of course we’d like to go,” chorused the 
twins. 

“Then I’ll telephone Mrs. Collins now,” 
answered Grandma. “Connie’s father will come 
over for you after lunch, in the automobile.” 

So when the car came the twins were ready. 

92 


THE TWINS VISIT CONNIE 


93 



“Good-by, Granny. Good-by, Grandpa,” 
they called as they stepped into the waiting 
auto. Soon they were speeding down the lane. 

“I’m so glad you came,” cried Connie, run¬ 
ning to the door to throw her arms around 
Jenny. 

The evening was happily spent in games and 
singing. Mrs. Collins played the piano, and 











94 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


the twins joined lustily in the choruses. Bed¬ 
time came all too soon. 

“Isn’t Connie’s mother lovely?” Jenny in¬ 
quired of her twin, as they trooped up the stairs 
to bed. 

“She is,” agreed Jerry. 

Mrs. Collins called Jerry to the guest room, 
and Jenny went to sleep in Connie’s room. 

In the morning the twins awoke quite early. 

“I don’t wish for prunes, thank you,” said 
Jerry at breakfast, as Mrs. Collins placed a 
dish of the fruit before him, with a jug full of 
fresh cream beside it. 

“Don’t you like prunes? Do you like plums, 
Jerry?” she asked. “We have sugar plums.” 

“Sugar plums!” Jerry nodded and smiled. 

“Did you know that prunes are plums?’’ she 
questioned with a smile. 

Jerry looked confused, but made no answer. 

“Prunes are plums, dried in the sun and 
pressed,” she continued. “All plums suitable 
for drying are called prunes, even while they are 
on the trees. To be right for drying they must 


THE TWINS VISIT CONNIE 


95 


contain more than twelve per cent of sugar. 
How much is that, Jenny?” 

Jenny looked doubtful. “Twelve parts out of 
every hundred parts must be sugar,” answered 
Connie promptly. 

“Some contain fifty per cent. Most of the 
best prune plums are grown in France and Cali¬ 
fornia, but Spain, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, 
South America and Australia, also produce 
prunes. Formerly the finest prunes came from 
the valley of the Loire in France. They are 
golden-yellow, much lighter than our native 
prunes. They come packed in fancy boxes, and 
they are expensive. 

“But now California supplies nearly as many. 
Three states, California, Washington and 
Oregon, market more prunes than all Europe.” 

“I’m sorry I was rude,” answered Jerry, when 
Mrs. Collins had finished speaking. “Will you 
pass the cream, please? I think I will eat the 
prunes now.” 


THE WIENER ROAST ON THE BEACH 

“It is Connie’s birthday to-morrow,” said Mrs. 
Collins, as they sat in the hammock the next 
day. “What kind of a party shall we have?” 

“Oh, let’s have a party on the beach, after 
dark,” cried Connie. 

“And ask some of those children that live 
down the road,” suggested Jenny. 

“That would be great,” coaxed Connie. 
“Let’s, Mother.” 

“It would be nice,” answered her mother. 
“We could build a fire to toast wieners and 
marshmallows, and have—” she broke off ab¬ 
ruptly. “No. I must keep that a secret until 
the party.” 

The twins were very busy the next day gather¬ 
ing up dried twigs in the little wood beyond the 
beach, for the bonfire. The beach was a narrow 
strip of land which bordered a wide creek that 
ran through the meadow back of the Co llins ’ 
property. 

At night, when the invited guests were all 

96 


THE WIENER ROAST ON THE BEACH 


97, 



arrived at the beach, Mrs. Collins placed three 
large, dead trees tripod fashion, piled paper and 
dry twigs underneath, and set a light to it. 
The flames rapidly gained strength, and shot 
straight up to the sky, causing the more ven¬ 
turesome children to move back from the heat. 






98 


THE TWINS IN EEUITLAND 


“Wieners, Jerry,” called Mrs. Collins. Jerry 
handed each child a small wiener sausage and 
a long stick, pointed at one end to hold the food. 

“0 boy! They do taste good,” the children 
cried, when they had placed the toasted wieners 
between slices of bread, and dabbed on a little 
mustard. 

“Marshmallows next,” called Connie, thrust¬ 
ing her stick with the white confection on its 
point into the fire. 

Mrs. Collins started the children singing songs 
and choruses while the candies toasted. The 
light from the fire rose and fell on the circle of 
happy faces and made a pleasant picture. 

“Now for the surprise!” cried their hostess, 
going to a basket which she had kept closely 
guarded until now. She lifted out a large green 
object and carried it to the circle around the 
fire. 

“Oh! Oh!” cried the delighted Jerry. “Water¬ 
melon! Watermelon!” 

Mrs. Collins laughed. “Do you like water¬ 
melon, Jerry?” 


THE WIENER ROAST ON THE BEACH 99 

“If I’d only known what made that basket 
so heavy!” he exclaimed. 

“I suppose we would have no watermelon 
left,” finished their hostess, as she began to 
distribute large slices. 

“Jerry!” said Jenny in an undertone to her 
twin. “Do try to be polite!” 

Jerry fell back somewhat at this rebuke. 

“Tell us something about watermelons, Mrs. 
Collins,” coaxed one of the little guests. 

“There is not much to tell,” she answered, 
“but I will tell you what I can. 

“This fruit was known to man centuries ago. 
Even then it was eaten for the refreshment it 
afforded, for it is nearly ninety-five per cent 
water. Originally it was grown only in the 
tropics and in South Africa. 

“It can indeed be grown anywhere if the seed 
is planted in light, sandy soil. It must be well- 
drained, and have no shade. Six states, Florida, 
Georgia, California, Texas, Indiana and Mis¬ 
souri lead in the culture of the watermelon, but 
it is grown in most of the states. 


100 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


“You cannot eat the rind because it is so 
tough. But the rind makes it an easy fruit to 
ship, as the tough, green-striped skin protects 
the delicious, watery, pinky-red pulp within. 
Usually the fruit weighs from twenty to fifty 
pounds. 

“When you buy watermelons, look for one 
that has a regular shape. The dull looking 
rind, rather than the bright, shiny one, is the 
kind to choose. The season is June, July and 
August.” 

The fire gradually died down; the circle of 
faces around it grew dim. and finally melted 
into the darkness. 

“Time to go home,” commanded Mrs. Collins 
cheerily. 

Slowly the children turned from the cooling 
ashes, and started back up the well beaten path 
that led to the farmhouse and the road. 

“We did have a good time,” volunteered 
several of the small guests. 

“So did we,” answered the twins to their 
hostess. 


THE DAY AFTER 

“I was reading some more about melons,” 
said Mrs. Collins, the day after the party. 
“Would you like to hear about them?” 

“Watermelons?” questioned Jerry. 

“No, not watermelons. I told you all there 
was to tell about watermelons last night. These 
are two other kinds of melon—the muskmelon 
and the casaba melon. 

“A muskmelon is a sweet, delicious fruit that 
grows on a vine like the watermelon. It is a 
member of the same family, the gourd family. 
Some varieties are oblong in shape; others are 
nearly round. 

“Muskmelons grow in warm climates all over 
the world. The cantaloupe and the nutmeg 
melon are the kinds that we have most of in the 
United States and Canada. 

“The rind of the muskmelon is tough, usually 
netted and of a greenish yellow color. The color 
of the flesh of the different types varies from 

white, yellow and green to pink and red. 

101 


102 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 



Casaba Muskmelon Nutmeg Melon 


“A cantaloupe is a muskmelon with a hard, 
scaly rind,” went on Mrs. Collins. “The rind 
is often deeply furrowed.” 

“Uncle John once bought us each a half canta¬ 
loupe filled with ice cream,” interrupted Jerry. 

“There were nuts on it, and cherries, too,” 
added Jenny. 

“The name cantaloupe,” said Mrs. Collins, 
smiling slightly, “comes from a small town in 
Italy, near Rome, which is called Cantelupe. 

“The nutmeg melon belongs to the netted 
class of its kind. It is round oval in shape, 
ribbed and musk scented.” 

“Tell us about the Casa—” said Connie. 







THE DAT AFTER 


103 


“Casaba,” laughed her mother. “It is not 
hard to say.” 

“Is it another kind of muskmelon?” asked 
Jennie politely. 

“It is one of the larger varieties of musk¬ 
melon,” said Mrs. Collins. “But its history 
does not date very far back, like that of the 
watermelon. The Casaba melon was not known 
in America, at least, until the present century.” 

“Why is it called by such a funny name?” 
asked Jerry. 

“It is named for Casaba, a town in Asia 
Minor, near Smyrna, where it comes from. That 
is why it is sometimes called the Persian melon.” 

“It’s the yellow melon,” declared Jerry. 

“It is yellow both inside and out,” agreed 
Mrs. Collins. “And we must remember that 
there is a melon known as the Persian melon. 
It looks like a large, flattened cantaloupe. 

“The rind of the Casaba is smooth and easy 
to handle, not rough and netted like our American 
muskmelons. It is divided into grooves or 
sections running lengthwise. It has a delight- 


104 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


ful flavor. It is sometimes called the Golden 
melon.” 

“Tell us about the big melons,” asked Jerry. 

“These muskmelons that we have been talk¬ 
ing about grow from a few inches in length to 
over a foot. There are melons much larger, 
however. The Montreal is the largest. Speci¬ 
mens of this variety have been grown that 
weighed as much as fifteen pounds. The Golden 
Queen is another large melon, weighing from 
six to eight pounds. These larger melons are 
rather rare, however. The Montreal is nearly 
round in shape, dark green with coarse netting. 
The flesh is lighter green. 

“The Golden Queen is a round, ribbed melon. 
The skin is yellowish or light green, rough but 
with little netting. The flesh is salmon pink 
and greenish, shading into red. It is grown in 
New York and parts of the New England states.” 

“We had a honeyball melon for breakfast 
yesterday,” reminded Connie. 

“Yes,” replied her mother. “Market styles 
in melons change constantly. The honeyball 


THE DAY AFTER 


105 


resembles the honeydew melon, which has a 
slight cucumber flavor. The honeydew has a 
smooth rind, cream white or pale green in color. 
The honeydews are sweet and fragrant and their 
season lasts from June to November. 

“Then there is a Santa Claus, or Christmas 
melon, that looks like a small watermelon, but 
the flesh is like cantaloupe. 

“And there are winter melons that look like 
honeydews on the outside, but are like water¬ 
melons inside.” 

“I like Rocky Fords the best of all,” said 
Jerry. 

“The Rocky Ford is a delicious little melon, 
about five inches in length, usually. Its flavor 
has made it a general favorite. It takes its 
name from the place where it was first grown in 
Colorado.” 

“I wish I had some now,” said Jerry. 

And his twin exclaimed in a shocked voice, 
“Jerry!” 


WHEN MOTHER WAS A GIRL 

The next two weeks flew by rapidly; the day 
before the one on which the twins were to go 
home arrived all too soon. 

“Mother’s coming to-morrow!” Jenny kept 
repeating in an excited voice. 

“I just love riding on the train,” Jerry said. 
“But I don’t want to go to school again.” 

“The time will fly,” answered Grandma 
cheerily. “Christmas holidays will soon be 
here.” 

Granny was busy making sugar cookies for 
the twins to eat on the journey home. 

“Mother likes sugar cookies, too,” observed 
Jenny, watching her grandma’s deft movements 
as she cut the dough and slid the baking-sheet 
into the oven. 

“Yes, I know she does,” answered her 
grandma. “I made hundreds of sugar cookies 
for her when she was little.” 

“Won’t you tell us a story about when 
106 


WHEN MOTHER WAS A GIRL 


107 


Mother was a little girl?” begged the twins, 
very much interested. 

Grandma’s eyes misted with sudden memories 
of long ago. 

“She was always up to pranks of some kind, 
but best of all she loved dressing up, and climb¬ 
ing apple trees. 

“One day while she was hanging nearly upside 
down from an apple tree near the road, a trav¬ 
eler came along. He was hungry and footsore, 
and asked Grade where he could go to get a 
good meal. 

“ ‘My mother makes the loveliest sugar 
cookies,’ ” she told him. 

The twins laughed. 

“She does yet,” said Jerry with a grin. 

Jenny gave her grandma an affectionate 
squeeze. 

“After supper, he gave Gracie that little chair 
from his pack.” 

Granny pointed to a tiny black-and-yellow 
doll’s chair that was visible through the open 
door, standing on the plate rail in the dining 


108 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


room. "He said that it was made from black 
persimmon wood, and he told us some curious 
tales of his adventures in Texas. ‘The black 
persimmon tree grows there,’ he said. ‘It is a 
fruit tree.’ ” 

‘‘A fruit tree?” echoed Jerry. 

‘‘The persimmon belongs to a group of trees 
of the ebony family,” said his grandma. ‘‘Two 
types are found in the temperate zones of North 
America. This black persimmon of which we 
were talking grows largely in the western part of 
Texas as far south as the gulf.” 

‘‘What gulf?” asked Jerry. 

Mother smiled. 

‘‘I know!” Jenny exclaimed with a start of 
pleasure. ‘‘The Gulf of Mexico.” 

Mother laughed. 

‘‘Of course,” she said, as Jerry looked down. 
‘‘The fruit of the black persimmon is black and 
almost tasteless. It is valued mostly for the 
dye contained in its juice. The wood is black, 
as you have seen, with yellow markings such as 
you see in that little chair. It is used largely 


WHEN MOTHER WAS A GIRL 


109 



The Persimmon in Japan 


for engravers’ blocks. The wood of neither of 
these persimmon trees is equal to that of ebony 
trees found in the tropics. 

“The common persimmon tree grows in the 
coast states from Rhode Island to Florida and 





















110 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


west as far as Kansas. It is a graceful tree, 
with shiny green leaves, that grows to a height 
of about fifty feet. The wood of this tree is very 
hard, and fine grained. It is used in turnery. 
It bears yellowish green flowers and small yellow 
fruit that is puckery before it ripens.” 

“Like chokecherries,” said Jerry. 

“It is only when the fruit is dead ripe that it 
is good to eat,” said Grandma. “The per¬ 
simmon grows in Japan and China, too, and 
produces better fruit in these countries than in 
America.” 

“I wish I could go to Texas,” observed Jerry, 
his eyes fixed dreamily on the little black chair 
with the yellow markings. “There must be all 
kind of wild animals there.” 

“Well, you may go some day,” replied his 
grandma. “Grandpa has some shares in a mine 
down there. I heard him talk of taking a trip 
some day.” 

“Let’s all go,” cried Jerry excitedly. 

“Go and call Grandpa first. Dinner is 
ready.” 


A LETTER FROM INDIA 

“The postman has been here! A letter for 
you, Mother,” called the twins one day, as they 
passed through the hall on their way out to 
school. 

Mother smiled when she saw the postmark. 
“It is a good, fat one, isn’t it?” she asked. 
“It is from Mrs. Holmes, and by the postmark 
she is now in India. 

“Don’t be too late coming from school,” she 
called after them. “She is sure to have some¬ 
thing interesting to tell us.” 

Mrs. Holmes was a friend of Mrs. Lancaster. 
At present, she was traveling around the world. 
Once a month an account of her travels found 
its way to the twins, and the pages were filled 
with amusing incidents and descriptions of 
beauty spots she had visited. 

The twins hurried home, eager to hear their 
mother read the letter. But Mother was busy, 

and so they waited, somewhat impatiently it is 
111 


112 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


true, until the evening meal had been eaten and 
cleared away. 

Mother took her knitting, and the letter, and 
went to sit in the armchair. The evening was 
chilly, and the twins drew their mother’s chair 
before the fire and cuddled themselves at her 
feet. 

“ ‘Dear Mrs. Lancaster,’ ” Mother began to 
read. “ ‘After the usual troubles and incon¬ 
veniences of travel, we have at last arrived in 
India. It is hot, very hot. 

“ ‘We passed by a grove of lemon trees on our 
ride out to this particular spot. Lemon trees 
grow wild here. I instantly thought of the 
twins. Jerry, I am sure, would like to hear 
something about lemons. 

“ ‘There is no need for me to describe to him 
the light yellow, egg-shaped fruit known as a 
lemon. He has already seen dozens of them in 
his own home. But he has not seen the tree 
itself, with its long, willowy branches thinly 
covered with pale green leaves, interspersed with 
heavy bunches of lemons. The tree usually 


A LETTER FROM INDIA 


113 



grows from ten to twenty feet high, and lives for 
about forty years. 

“ ‘The flowers are small, and marked on the 
outside with purplish lines. They are not so 
fragrant as orange blossoms, although the lemon 
tree belongs to the citrus family, and so is a 
cousin of the orange and the lime.’ ” 

‘T love lemon pie,” interrupted Jerry. 

“With that fluffy stuff on it,” added Jenny. 


























114 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


Mother laughed, as she folded up the letter 
and started to knit. “There is nothing more 
about lemons in the letter,” she said. “Mrs. 
Holmes didn’t mention whether they have lemon 
pie in India or not.” 

“Is India the only place where lemons grow?” 
inquired Jerry. 

“Lemon trees grow in Italy, too,” replied his 
mother, “and are exported from there. Also 
in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Florida and espe¬ 
cially in California. California in fact produces 
most of our lemons. 

“Italy exports cargoes of lemons into the 
United States and Canada to the value of 
$6,000,000 every year. 

“The lemon is used in cooking and in flavor¬ 
ing, and for perfume. The flavoring extract 
and the oil that yields the scent are obtained 
chiefly from the rind, which is very fragrant. It 
is the oil glands in the yellow outer rind that 
give it the rough appearance. 

“Inside this yellow rind is a white linin g or 
inner rind that covers the juicy pulp of the fruit. 


A LETTER PROM INDIA 


115 


The seeds are contained in the sections of the 
pulp. The fruit is called a berry by the 
botanists.” 

“Do they pack lemons just like oranges?” 
asked Jenny. 

“No,” replied her mother. “Lemons must be 
picked green, or they will not keep. The green 
fruits are placed on trays in cool, dark rooms 
for curing. When ready for the market they are 
sorted, graded, wrapped in tissue paper, and 
packed in boxes for shipping. The thin skinned 
lemons are liked best. Lemons of the best 
grade are called ‘fancy,’ of the next best are 
‘choice,’ of the third grade are known as ‘stand¬ 
ards,’ and of the fourth grade are just ‘culls.’ 
Like oranges, lemons have to be handled care¬ 
fully to avoid breaking or bruising the skin. 
It is well that the skin becomes tougher as the 
fruit ripens and so is in better condition for 
shipping. A good lemon yields ordinarily about 
two ounces of juice. 

“The straggling branches of the lemon tree 
bear short, sharp thorns, fragrant flowers and 


116 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


ripening fruit at the same time. It comes into 
bearing at three or four years and is fully matured 
at the sixth or seventh year. The average yield 
of a tree is two hundred to three hundred pounds 
annually. The trees are planted in groves one 
hundred to the acre. There may be a crop of 
two thousand to three thousand pounds of fruit 
to the acre. A single tree may bear three thou¬ 
sand fruits in a year.” 

Mrs. Lancaster paused. “I had forgotten 
that you still have home work to do.” 

“I have to do some horrid sums,” wailed 
Jerry. 

'‘Come, come,” replied his mother. “Sums 
first, and then to bed. To-morrow you can 
write to tell Connie about the lemon story.” 


THE CITRON TREE 

“Citron makes good preserves,” said Mother. 
The twins were helping their mother peel citrons 
one Saturday morning. She had bought them 
from a vegetable peddler at the door the day 
before. 

Jerry opened his eyes; he w'as very fond of 
preserves. 

“These are English citrons,” continued their 
mother. “I like this kind for the peel. When 
it is preserved and chopped fine, it is nice for 
cakes. 

“Notice how oval these citrons are. Citrons 
are usually round. Both round and oval vari¬ 
eties have light and dark green stripes on the 
rinds, which are warty and furrowed. The in¬ 
side is pale green, and rather hard; the seeds are 
red or green.” 

“Do you remember the beads we made from 
them last year?” asked Jenny. 

Mother smiled. “Yes, dear. They were very 
117 


118 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


pretty. In India citrons grow on a tree, but 
here we find them on vines.” 

“Who ever heard of citrons growing on a 
tree?” asked a deep voice behind them. 

“Oh! Oh! Uncle Fred!” cried the twins, as 
they ran and clung to him with shrieks of 
delight. 

“A very cordial reception, I’m sure,” an¬ 
swered their uncle, with a laugh. “But who 
said that citrons grew on a tree?” 

Mrs. Lancaster laughed. 

“I did,” she answered. “You told me, so it 
must be true.” 

“Well, they do really,” said her brother, 
dropping his bantering tone. “India was the 
first home of the citron tree, which belongs to 
the same family as the lemon and orange, you 
remember, the citrus family. It is now cultivated 
in both California and Florida and in the warm 
countries around the Mediterranean Sea. It 
carries large leaves and beautiful flowers, the 
color of violets. The fruit of some varieties is 
round, of others oval. 


THE CITRON TREE 


119 



“The citron is used like the lemon, when 
fresh, to make a refreshing drink, but it is the 
peel that is the most important product. Much 
of it is shipped to the United States dried, to 
be candied. From the juice of the rind also two 
oils used in making perfumes are made. 

“The kind of citrons we grow in America,” 
he continued, holding up a piece that Jenny 
had cut, “is really a variety of watermelon. 
It grows on a vine and comes from small, yellow 
flowers.” 






120 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“What do you say to having a spin in the 
car?” he asked suddenly, jumping up. 

“Oh, goody!” cried the twins in unison. 

“That will be fine,” answered Mother. “I 
would like to go to the fruit store to get some 
grapes. The twins have helped me wonderfully 
with the citrons. So I will have time to make 
some grape jam.” 

“Grape jam!” said Jerry. 

His uncle laughed heartily. “Very fond of 
jam, aren’t you, Jerry?” 

He brought the car to the door, and bundled 
them all into it. They sped down the street to 
the fruiterer’s. 

“The fruit man will be surprised to see us 
again,” said Jenny. 

“I hope he will be pleased,” answered Jerry. 
“I want him to tell us another story.” 


TEACHER’S NATURE LESSON 

The next morning the twins hurried off to 
school, each carrying a bunch of grapes to their 
teacher, the two largest bunches in the basket. 
They put the grapes on Miss Grey’s desk and 
went out into the school yard to play. 

“How delightful!” exclaimed Miss Grey. 

School had been called, and Miss Grey, re¬ 
turning to the room, saw the grapes for the first 
time. “How lovely!” she exclaimed again. 
“Who brought me these?” 

Jerry and Jenny put up their hands timidly; 
they were not used to being praised in school. 

Miss Grey smiled and thanked the twins. 

“Class, take out your history books,” she 
said. 

Then she paused. “Perhaps I will tell you a 
little about the history of the grapes this morn¬ 
ing, while we have such good specimens before 
us. Later in the day, you may be able to draw 
them. 


121 


122 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“As you can see, these grapes are purple in 
color, and round in shape. They are commonly 
known as late Canadian grapes.” 

A little hand in the back row shot up sud¬ 
denly. “Please, Miss Grey,” asked the owner of 
it, “what are the big, white grapes called?” 

“The kind I think you mean,” answered Miss 
Grey, “are Malaga grapes. They are big, firm 
and oval in shape, and light green in color. 
Usually they do not contain many seeds. They 
come from California. 

“From California also comes the white Muscat 
as well as the Malaga. And from the same state 
we get the red Tokay, besides black and red 
varieties of Emperor. The grapes grown along 
the Pacific slope belong to European varieties. 
Altogether we find that there are about five 
hundred different varieties grown at present. 
In color they range from black, purple and red 
to green, yellow and white. 

“Concord grapes, grown in the northern 
states east of the Rockies, are black and the best 
known kind. Then there are other well known 


TEACHER’S NATURE LESSON 


123 



types. The Catawba is a medium sized, oval 
or round grape, purplish red in color. It is 
a late, sweet grape that keeps well. The 
Delaware is a reddish hybrid of fine flavor. 

“The late grapes, such as the Concord, have 
a thick skin and a tart juice. The Sweetwater 
has a thin skin and a sweet flavor.” 

Here Jerry, who was fairly bursting to speak, 
asked, “Have you ever seen them grow. Miss 
Grey?” 
































124 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


“Hands up for questions!” Miss Grey re¬ 
minded him. “Yes,” she said, answering his 
question. “We used to grow grapes on our 
farm back on the Niagara Peninsula. The vines 
with their dark or light green, much indented 
leaves, made a handsome setting for the cone- 
shaped bunches of fruit. Occasionally the 
bunches grow to weigh twenty-five pounds, but 
the half-pound is more usually found,” she added 
smiling. “It all depends, of course, on the 
variety, the cultivation and the climate. 

“If you were to visit a vineyard in California 
you would notice at once that the vines are 
planted and cared for in a different way from 
what is the custom in the northern states of 
the East. In California vineyards the vines 
are trimmed so that they grow close to the 
ground. In the eastern states the vines are 
usually grown upon arbors or wires or other 
framework. 

“The California vines have stout trunks, but 
they are not allowed to grow high and each 
vine stands alone. They are planted in rows, 


TEACHER’S NATURE LESSON 


125 


with canals to water them alongside the rows. 
The constant cutting and trimming makes the 
strength of the vine go into the roots. The 
bunches are very large and heavy. 

'Tt is interesting to watch the process of dry¬ 
ing grapes to make them into raisins. The 
grapes are cut from the vines with scissors and 
laid in the hot sun, which dries them rapidly. 
When one side has been dried, the bunch is 
turned over so that the other side gets the sun’s 
rays. Then the dried bunches are stemmed by 
machinery and the cured raisins are packed for 
the market. 

“Grapes grow at night, so cold nights delay 
the crop and an early frost will ruin it. 

“In France, Armenia and most of the European 
countries, the grape vine runs wild. Often it 
will be found climbing up the side of some 
giant tree. This fruit has also been cultivated 
since the earliest date of human history.” 

Jerry sighed as the story ended. *^It’s always 
the way with stories,” he muttered. ‘^They stop, 
and you have to go back to work.” 


UNCLE JOHN’S TREAT 

“0 Mother, may we go to the circus on Sat¬ 
urday?” The twins arrived home, breathless 
with running all the way from school. 

“Do let us. Mother,” they begged. “We 
just saw the poster, and there are going to be 
all kinds of wild animals and things.” 

Mother sighed. 

“I’m sorry I can’t take you,” she said. 

The children’s faces fell. 

“But if I can get Uncle John on the telephone, 
you may go with him,” she added. 

“Oh, goody, goody!” they both cried, fairly 
dancing with joy. “That’s even better,” Jerry 
confided to his twin, in an undertone. “Uncle 
John always knows what a fellow wants, and 
you get everything without asking.” 

Saturday arrived, clear and bright. Mother 
had been able to get their uncle on the tele¬ 
phone, and he had promised to call for them. 

Jerry was up early. He stood at the door 
peering anxiously down the road, and calling 
126 


UNCLE JOHN’S TREAT 


127 



impatient little commands to Jenny to be ready 
the very minute their uncle came in sight. 

“Here he comes!” he yelled at last. “Come 
on, Jenny!” He grabbed his cap and hopped 
off the step to be at the car as soon as it stopped. 

“We’re off,” he called excitedly, as his 
mother came to the door to speak to Uncle 
John. 

At last they really were off, and the twins 





















128 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


chattered like magpies all the way until their 
uncle decided to stop at the nearest peanut 
stand to buy some nuts to keep them quiet. 

“Oh, there’s the band!” yelled Jerry, as they 
neared the circus grounds. “Quick, Jenny! 
See! There’s the parade!” 

“There are the elephants,” volunteered Jenny, 
not nearly so excited as her twin. “And see the 
lady with the gold dress on.” 

Their uncle sat calmly, laughing at Jerry’s 
attempts to excite his sister. 

“She’s only a girl!” Jerry cried at last in 
disgust, with an apologetic look at his uncle. 

Jenny turned to answer him crossly, but their 
uncle, seeing a quarrel in the making, hustled 
them into the grounds, and onto the merry-go- 
round. 

“It’s time we had something to eat,” Uncle 
John said, when the twins descended from the 
horses. “Let’s go and see what we can find.” 

“Oh, let’s only have popcorn and lemonade,” 
begged Jerry. “I don’t want dinner.” 

Jerry was really too full of excitement to eat. 


UNCLE JOHN’S TREAT 


129 


So Uncle John found a booth where food was 
sold, and inquired for sandwiches and lemonade. 

“Sold out of lemonade for a few minutes,” 
said the food vendor. “Try a lime drink.” 

“Yes, let us try a lime drink,” coaxed Jerry. 

“Well, you’ll find it sharp,” cautioned his 
uncle, “but go ahead. Three lime drinks,” he 
added, turning to the counter. 

“is that a lime?” asked Jenny, pointing to a 
small fruit like a lemon only more rounded, that 
she saw on the counter. 

“It is,” assented her uncle. “It grows on a 
small tree, scarcely higher than a shrub, belong¬ 
ing to the rue family. The trunk of this low 
tree grows crooked, with wide branches and 
smooth, glossy leaves. 

“I have seen limes growing in the West Indies, 
but the lime really is a native of India and 
China. It is cultivated also in our southern 
states, in southern Europe and in Mexico.” 

Jerry looked at his uncle with awe, but his 
uncle did not see. He handed the man thirty 
cents and Jerry got his first taste of lime drink. 


THE FRUIT DEALER TELLS A STORY 

“Will you do an errand for me?” Mother 
asked the twins one afternoon after school. 

“May we call at the fruit store?” asked Jerry. 
“We haven’t been there for a long time. The 
fruit dealer promised to tell us another story.” 

“Yes, you may, if you won’t stay too late. 
Bring me a dozen tangerines,” she said, handing 
him some money. 

“Tangerines?” asked Jerry. “What are 
they? What do they look like?” 

His mother smiled mysteriously. “Why, ask 
your friend, the fruit man,” she answered. 

Together the twins went down the street. 

“Here we are. Aren’t you pleased to see us 
again?” Jerry asked the fruit dealer upon their 
arrival at the fruit store. 

“Well, if it isn’t my little friends, the twins!” 
exclaimed the fruiterer. “Yes, I’m glad to see 
you. What can I get for you to-day?” 

“Mother wants tangerines,” answered Jerry, 

130 


THE FRUIT DEALER TELLS A STORY 


131 



At the Fruit Store 


bringing out the word with an important sound. 
"One dozen tangerines, please.” 

The fruiterer’s eyes twinkled. 

“This way,” he said. “Which kind will you 
have?” 

He led the twins to a large stand that held 
about eight varieties of the orange family. 

Jerry looked at him in amazement, for a 
















132 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


moment. Then a look of disappointment spread 
over his face. 

“Why, they’re only oranges!” he exclaimed, 
turning to Jenny. “l thought—” 

The fruit dealer laughed. 

“There is a difference,” he said, answering 
Jerry’s unspoken thought. “They are a variety 
of orange, smaller than the ordinary kind, and 
somewhat flattened in shape. The color, you 
notice, is deeper as well. They have a delicious 
taste.” 

“Where did they get that funny name?” 
Jenny spoke for the first time. 

“It was taken from the name of the place 
where the fruit was first found—in Tangier, 
Morocco.” 

“That is in Africa,” put in Jerry quickly. 
He was anxious to show the man that he knew 
something, to restore his lost self-esteem. 

“A few of them are grown in Mexico,” added 
their instructor. 

“From its shape, which as you see is some¬ 
what flatter than that of the orange, the tan- 


THE FRUIT DEALER TELLS A STORY 


133 


gerine is supposed to have been developed from 
the Mandarin orange, which is a Chinese variety. 
It is like the Mandarin in another respect. Both 
have a loose skin, which is easily removed. The 
tangerine has a rich flavor.” 

“0 Jerry!” exclaimed Jenny, who had wan¬ 
dered a little farther down the store. “See the 
little pear-orange!” 

“So you’ve found the kumquat, eh?” said the 
fruiterer with a hearty laugh. 

“It is another variety of orange,” he added 
in response to their eager looks. He picked 
up the little fruit that was like a tiny, oblong 
orange, and gave one to each of the twins. 
“They grow on a small, shrublike orange tree, 
which is cultivated largely in China, Japan and 
several of our southern states. It is easy to 
grow, because it stands the frost better than 
any of the other varieties. 

“Eat,” he commanded, noticing that they 
seemed afraid to make a start. “You’ll find 
the flavor pleasant and refreshing. In China,” 
he added, “the sweet rind of the kumquat is 


134 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


preserved with sugar into dainty confections.” 

The clock at the back of the store struck five. 

“We must be going,” said Jenny suddenly. 
“Mother told us not to be late.” 

“Thank you for the kumquats,” said Jerry 
politely, though stumbling a little over the new 
word. They hurried home to tell Mother about 
them. 

“Where are my tangerines?” she asked. 

The twins looked anxiously at one another, 
and then burst out laughing. 

“We’re so sorry. Mother,” they said at last, 
“but we forgot all about them.” 

“Hurry back then. We’re having company 
to-night, so I want them,” said Mother, laugh¬ 
ing with them. 


JERRY TRIES A POMEGRANATE 

“Oh, I love those little red sandals,” cried 
Jenny. “Look at the buckles!” The twins 
and their mother were looking into a shoe¬ 
maker’s window one night after school. 

“Don’t you think I need some new shoes?” 
she continued wistfully, looking at her mother, 
and then back to the little red sandals. 

Her mother shook her head. 

“We cannot buy them to-day,” she answered. 
“But we can go in to ask the price.” 

“Three dollars,” said the shoemaker, carry¬ 
ing the little red sandals from the window, to 
hold them temptingly in front of Jenny’s nose. 

Tears of desire came into her eyes; she did 
want those little sandals. But her mother 
shook her head. 

“I cannot buy them,” she said. “I’m sorry 
to cause you so much trouble.” 

“Made from the very best leather,” the 
tempter went on. “The leather was tanned 

with tannin derived from the rind of the pome- 
135 


136 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


granate,” he added, as though sure that this 
was the best possible guarantee. 

Still Mother shook her head, and turned to 
leave the store. 

“What’s that?” inquired Jerry. He had been 
gazing disconsolately around at the rows of 
girls’ shoes that lined the walls. He didn’t 
care for red sandals. The salesman’s last words 
aroused his interest. 

“Come, Jerry,” said his mother. 

Jerry took no notice. He went closer to the 
counter and repeated, “What’s a pomegranate?” 

“A pomegranate is a fruit,” answered the 
man. “The rind is used for the tannin it con¬ 
tains, and this tannin is used for tanning 
leather.” 

“Well?” said Jerry, as the man paused. 

“You’d better go and ask a fruit dealer,” 
the man laughed. “That’s all I know about it.” 

Jerry walked away; his mother and Jenny 
were already a block down the street. 

“We’ll have to see the fruit dealer,” he said, 
when he caught up to them. “Why, we’re here 


JERRY TRIES A POMEGRANATE 


137 



The Pomegranate 


already,” he exclaimed looking up. He had 
been walking so quickly, his mind on the pome¬ 
granate, that he hadn’t noticed where he was. 

“There’s a pomegranate,” his mother said. 
Following the direction of her nod, Jerry saw a 
pile of round fruits that looked like oranges, 
only the color was a deeper gold, shaded with 
red. The rind was tough looking and hard. 

“Is that one on the plate?” asked Jenny, 
pointing to a plate on top of the pile. 

“It looks like a pomegranate cut in two,” 
said her mother. “Yes, it is,” peering closer. 
“See the purple and reddish seeds, and notice 
how they are each wrapped in a layer of pulp.” 







138 


THE TWINS IN FEUITLAND 


“Let’s go and ask the fruit man!” begged 
Jerry. 

Mother consulted her watch. “You can go 
in for ten minutes if he isn’t busy,” she an¬ 
swered. “Meet me at the dressmaker’s in twenty 
minutes, sharp.” 

“Here again!” said the fruit dealer. “What 
is it this time?” 

“The pomegranate,” said Jerry. “Tell us 
where it grows, and all about it. The shoe¬ 
maker said its rind was used for making tannin.” 

“Yes, it is used for tanning leather,” answered 
the fruiterer. “It also contains the tannin used 
in certain medicines. In Mexico, they make 
liquor from the pulp, and in Persia, wine. Have 
you ever tasted a pomegranate?” he inquired 
suddenly. 

Both the children shook their heads. “We 
would like to,” volunteered Jenny timidly. 

The fruit dealer cut one in two and gave half 
to each twin. “It grows on a tree fifteen to 
twenty-five feet high,” he continued, seating him¬ 
self carefully on an orange box. “This tree 


JERRY TRIES A POMEGRANATE 


139 


bears a good number of slender branches; at the 
end of the branches large scarlet flowers grow. 
By and by the flowers turn into fruit. 

“The pomegranate is grown in many tropical 
and subtropical regions, such as the extreme 
southern states and Mexico. In western Asia 
and northwestern India, it grows wild.” 

“I like pomegranates,” said Jerry, wiping his 
hands with satisfaction on his handkerchief. 

“We learned all about the pomegranate to¬ 
day,” the twins told their father that evening. 

“Been to see the fruit man again?” he inquired 
with an amused look. “Did he tell you about 
Proserpina and the pomegranate seeds? It’s 
Greek mythology,” he added, seeing Jerry’s 
mystified look. “Better ask your teacher about 
it in the morning.” 


THE STRANGER ENTERTAINS THE TWINS 

“Mr. and Mrs. Willard will be here to spend 
the evening,” said Mrs. Lancaster to the twins 
as they started off to school one afternoon. 
“Don’t loiter on the way home, because you 
must dress nicely for dinner.” 

Jerry groaned. “I hate getting dressed up, 
and I hate the Willards,” he said crossly. 

“Hush, Jerry,” advised his mother sharply. 
“You should not hate any one. Besides, you 
have never even seen them.” 

Jerry bolted for the door without replying. 

“Remember,” his mother called after him. 

“The Willards have traveled a great deal,” 
his mother told him that evening, while he was 
dressing. 

“Well, I might like them,” he stated thought¬ 
fully to himself, “if they would only tell us 
about their travels!” 

“Meet my son and daughter, Mr. Willard,” 
said Mother, when her guests arrived. 

140 


THE STRANGER ENTERTAINS THE TWINS 141 

Jerry nodded stiffly. But his excitement 
burst forth at a look from the kindly face of 
Mr. Willard. 

“Oh, won’t you tell us about your travels?” 
he burst out impetuously. 

The visitor looked at Mother for explanation. 

“I told them that you had traveled,” she 
answered, smiling apologetically and shaking 
her head at Jerry. 

Jerry hung his head. 

“All right, my little man,” the visitor replied. 
“You shall have a story, at your mother’s con¬ 
venience.” 

“Will you have pineapple or peach jelly?” 
Mother asked her visitors at the dinner table. 

“Pineapple, please,” replied Mr. Willard. 
“We saw acres and acres of pineapples in 
Hawaiian plantations,” he added, turning to 
his host. With a side glance, he watched the 
effect of this upon Jerry. That small boy sat 
bolt upright upon hearing the words and fas¬ 
tened his eyes upon Mr. Willard. 

“We saw them also in Porto Rico, the West 


142 


THE TWINS IN FKUITLAND 


Indies, and the Philippines, too. There the 
natives sold us some of the Pina muslin, a 
delicate fabric that is woven from the leaves. 
In California, and recently in Florida, some fine 
varieties are springing up. The plant is native 
to the American tropics. 

“It is very interesting to see how they are 
grown,” he continued, for Jerry’s benefit. “In 
Florida the plants are placed under sheds made 
of lath nailed two to three inches apart on light 
frames. This framework protects the plants 
from extremes of heat and cold.” 

He paused to continue eating, but Jerry burst 
out. “Do tell ns some more.” 

Mr. Willard looked at him with an amused 
twinkle in his eyes. “One of the planters told 
us that the pineapple is a biennial plant. That 
is, the first season it puts forth only the root 
and the leaves. It does not grow during the 
winter, but the following season it blossoms, 
bears fruit and then dies. The flowers are small, 
purplish blue, not very fragrant. 

“It is quite a thrilling sight to see planta- 


THE STRANGER ENTERTAINS THE TWINS 143 



tions of the fruit growing in Hawaii. The 
fleshy part of the stalk holds the fruit, and this 
is crowned by a cluster of leaves. The whole 
plant is only about two feet high. 

“Pineapples grow to about the size of a coco¬ 
nut there ordinarily, but some growers have 
produced larger varieties weighing up to twenty 
pounds. 

“The long rows of plants are set about three 
feet apart and the spiky leaves almost cover the 











144 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


ground. They are prickly at the end, so that 
you have to watch to avoid them if you are 
walking between the rows. From the center of 
these spikelike leaves grows the fruit. It is 
greenish yellow or red in color and round or 
cone-shaped. A tuft of short spikes grows from 
the top of the fruit. 

“The fruit is woody and solid inside. It has 
a delightful flavor when ripe. It is picked 
green for shipping and ripens on its way to 
the market. It should not be eaten until ripe, 
however, for the green fruit has a caustic juice. 
When it is thoroughly ripe, it is very wholesome, 
for the juice contains elements that aid di¬ 
gestion.” 

“Like the papaw!” exclaimed Jerry. 

“Yes,” agreed Mr. Willard. “I see that you 
remember some of the things you learn about 
the fruits, don’t you?” 

“Its name comes from its likeness to the pine 
cone,” interrupted his wife. “Have you finished, 
dear?” 

Jerry glared at her. His mother caught his 


THE STRANGER ENTERTAINS THE TWINS 145 

eye and shook her head. The family rose from 
the table at Mother’s signal, and gathered again 
shortly in the parlor. 

“No more to-night,” said Mrs. Lancaster with 
a warning nod at Jerry. “Mr. Willard has 
some business to talk over with Father. You 
must be quiet, or go and play in the kitchen.” 

Jerry ran into the kitchen and shut the door 
with a bang. 

“Just when he was going to tell me more,” he 
cried wrathfully to Jenny. 

But Jenny wisely did not answer. 


THE STORY OF THE COCONUT 

“Coconuts are one of the most useful things 
in the world,” observed Uncle Fred, as he ham¬ 
mered away at a coconut he had brought the 
twins for Thanksgiving. 

“Couldn’t you make it into a story?” coaxed 
Jerry in his most wheedling tone, as he watched 
his uncle with interest. 

Uncle Fred laughed. 

“Always after a story. I thought that only 
babies liked stories,” he said good-humoredly. 

“We’re not babies,” Jenny pouted. 

“Well, I can’t tell stories sitting on the floor 
like this. Help me up,” answered her uncle 
with mock meekness. 

The twins rushed to help him up, settled him 
in the big armchair, and perched one on each 
side of him. 

“You promised,” reminded Jerry, as though 
afraid that Uncle Fred would forget his small 
nephew’s desire to hear all about the coconut. 

146 


THE STORY OF THE COCONUT 147 

His uncle held up the coconut, which he had 
not yet succeeded in cracking, and with an air 
of great importance began in the tone of a 
lecturer. “Ladies and gentlemen; You see be¬ 
fore you a coconut. The coconut grows on 
a tall, straight palm tree that reaches a height 
of about sixty feet. It seems to thrive best near 
the seacoast and its home is in the tropics. 
Some varieties are believed to have come from 
India and the Islands of the South Seas in the 
first place. But many kinds are native to 
South America.” 

He struck an attitude, and the twins went 
into gales of laughter. 

“0 Uncle, don’t lecture us,” said Jerry as 
soon as he could talk. “Tell us all about it— 
like a story.” 

Uncle Fred dropped his lecturing tone, and 
began seriously. “All that I have told you is 
true, but that, I suppose, you knew before. 
This is the coconut story: 

**The coconut palm begins to bear its great 
nuts in from four to eight years after planting. 


148 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


The tree lives seventy or eighty years under 
favorable conditions. 

'‘The fruit has a hard, thick, brown shell. 
The kind we know best is a rounded oval in 
shape, but some others are longer. At one end 
of the husk of our common coconut there are 
three eyes, or scars, where the opening is usually 
made, for these spots are thinner and softer 
than the rest of the rind. The middle eye is the 
one to open to let out the milky juice. 

“The white pulp lines the inside of the hard, 
stringy husk. Besides being good to eat and 
nutritious, this pulp yields an oil that has many 
uses. It is called coconut oil and coconut but¬ 
ter. Inside the pulp of the fruit is the milk. 

“The tree has a stem about a foot in diameter, 
with a crown of from sixteen to twenty great 
leaves. You may imagine what a sight a coco¬ 
nut palm is, when I tell you that these leaves 
are from twelve to twenty feet in length. They 
are so large that the natives use the midrib of 
the leaves for oars and other implements. The 
fruit grows in clusters,among the leaves. 


THE STORY OF THE COCONUT 


149 



Natives Gathering Coconuts 


“As the tree grows on the coast the fruit is 
often gathered onto rafts. Then the natives 
steer the rafts along the stream to the markets 
and the coconuts are sent to northern coun¬ 
tries.” 







150 


THE TWINS IN PRUITLAND 


“On the coasts of India and on the shores of 
the South Sea Islands, thousands of coconut 
trees have been growing. People found out 
how useful they were, and they have planted 
them by the hundred in the United States, in 
South America and on the shores of all tropical 
countries.” 

“What are they used for?” questioned Jerry 
with a rush. He had been waiting patiently 
(for him) to ask his uncle this question. 

“The natives of these tropical countries like 
the milk, which is a refreshing drink. It is 
best when the nut is green. The pulp, or fruit, 
is an important article of food to them—either 
ripe or green. A cabbagelike bud which grows 
at the top of the tree, they boil and eat like we 
do our greens. It is not bad either, for I have 
eaten it in India.” 

Jerry’s eyes grew almost black with excite¬ 
ment. But he did not speak, fearing to stop 
his uncle. 

“The sap of the tree is made into a native 
wine; the coconut oil or butter pressed from 


THE STORY OP THE COCONUT 


151 


the fruit part is used for making soap, candles, 
and other products. The leaves are dried to 
thatch the native huts. From the fibers or 
veins of the leaves, cords, baskets, sacks and 
other things are made; while the fibers you see 
here wound around the husk of the fruit are 
woven into mats. The shells and wood also are 
useful—the shells make fine cups, ladles and 
other dishes, and the wood of the lower part of 
the tree polishes beautifully. It is made into 
boats and buildings. 

“You see now that what I said at first is true: 
the coconut is one of the most useful things in 
the world.” 

“Will you try again to crack it?” asked Jerry 
eagerly. “I know we will enjoy it more now.” 


THANKSGIVING ON THE FARM 

“Is it a fruit or a vegetable?” teased Uncle 
John, as he passed the dish of cranberry jelly 
to Jerry 

“I don’t know,” answered Jerry. “It’s good, 
anyway, and I like it,” he added, helping him¬ 
self to a generous spoonful of the jelly. 

His grandfather laughed. “You’d better tell 
him, John. His education seems to have been 
neglected.” He turned to Jerry’s mother as he 
spoke. 

She shook her head at him. “No, it hasn’t,” 
she answered. “Jerry knows a great deal about 
the different kinds of fruits.” 

After the remainder of the Thanksgiving dinner 
had been cleared away, and the older folks had 
gathered around the open fire. Uncle John called 
the twins and said: “Your cheeks are quite 
pale. Let us go for a walk, and I will tell you 
something about the cranberry.” 

“Oh, goody!” they cried. So, after they had 

152 


THANKSGIVING ON THE FARM 


153 



donned their warm outdoor wraps, they set out 
for a walk, Barney, the collie, frisking beside 
them. 

‘‘You helped Mother get them ready for the 
jelly,” began Uncle John, “so you know that 
they are a little cherry like, red berry.” 

“They’re sour, too,” interrupted Jenny. 

Jenny had tasted one first, and then wouldn’t 
eat any of the jelly. 

“This little berry grows on a trailing vine, 
and is always found in marsh or swamp lands,” 
continued her uncle, ignoring the slight inter¬ 
ruption. 

“It is an evergreen plant, with small, round 








154 


THE TWINS IN FRUITLAND 


leaves. It has little white flowers. The fruit 
grows in the fall on slender stems, curved like 
the neck of a crane.” 

“Oh, so that’s where they get their name?” 
questioned Jerry with interest. 

His uncle smiled patiently. “Yes, that is 
where the name comes from. It was first called 
crane-berry, and later the name was shortened 
to cranberry. 

“There are two kinds: the small and the large 
berry. The cranberry was originally found in 
America and Europe, but it is now cultivated 
extensively in the United States. It grows on 
low, wet ground, which is drained so that the 
water will be about one foot below the surface in 
the growing season. In winter the ground is 
flooded. Cranberries grow on a high or low 
bush, but the high-bush variety is very sour, 
and there is little market for it. The low-bush 
kind is called the cowberry or wolfberry, and is 
not very much liked either.” 

“Tell us some more,” said Jenny, as Uncle 
John stopped talking. 


THANKSGIVING ON THE FARM 


156 


“I don’t think there is any more to tell,” 
answered Uncle John, smiling down at her. 

Jenny laughed mischievously. “Is it a fruit 
or a vegetable, Uncle?” 

“I’m caught. I really don’t know, but I 
think it is fruit,” he answered. “But never 
mind. Let’s race home to Grandfather, and 
you can ask him.” 

Uncle John set off at a lively run, followed 
by Jerry, Jenny and Barney. 

“It is a fruit, of course,” said Grandfather, 
when the question was put to him. 


THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 

It was Mother’s birthday night! By some 
strange happening it was the twins’ birthday 
night as well. So every year the Lancaster 
family held a big double party on that night. 
The twins’ party first, from five to nine o’clock; 
their mother’s party after that. 

Nine o’clock had come; the games had been 
played, the songs sung, the dainty tea with its 
big birthday cake eaten, and the strings of the 
“lucky pie” pulled. Now the children sat 
around the fireplace in a half circle, eagerly wait¬ 
ing for Uncle Fred to tell them the bedtime storj^ 
he had promised. Later on the older fo lks 
would enjoy their festivities, and the now quiet 
rooms would echo to the sound of music and 
dancing. 

“You wouldn’t think,” said he, glancing at 
the eager, fire-lit faces around him, “that 
mmnmy’s dress was the indirect product of a 
fruit tree.” 


156 


THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 


157 


“It wasn’t,” said Jenny. “It is silk.” 

A glance at her mother’s face made her hang 
her head in shame. 

“You mustn’t contradict, Jenny,” her mother 
said very seriously. 

“You are right, of course,” replied her uncle. 
“Yet unless the caterpillar that made the cocoon 
that gave us the silk had the leaves of the mul¬ 
berry tree to feed upon, we would have no silk!” 

“I knew silk was made by silkworms,” said 
Jerry proudly, as Jenny still hung her head. 

“Thousands of years ago the Chinese dis¬ 
covered that little caterpillars lived upon the 
leaves of the mulberry tree,” Mother went on. 
“Before a caterpillar turns into a moth, as you 
know, it spins a little cradle for itself to sleep 
in. This little cradle is called a cocoon. The 
cocoons are made of silk. When unwound the 
silk can be woven into silk fabrics. 

“So you see that the Chinese made silk ages 
ago and other nations learned from them the 
secret. The Persians were the first to cultivate 
silk worms from eggs brought from China. This 


158 


THE TAYINS IN FRUITLAND 



The White Mulberry That Silk Worms Like Best 


was hundreds of years after the Chinese had 
learned the secret of the silk worms. Two Per¬ 
sians who lived in Constantinople learned it 
from the Chinese and brought the eggs of the 
silk worm which they had obtained in C hin a, 
to their Emperor. From these eggs were 
hatched all the silk worms of Europe. The 
mulberry tree was native to Persia, so the Per¬ 
sians had no trouble in getting the right food 
for the silk worms. 

“It is the leaves of the white mulberry that the 
silk worms like best. The fruit of this tree is not 




THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 


159 


SO fine in flavor as that of the black or the red 
mulberry. 

“Mulberry trees are plentiful in Europe, but 
not in the United States. That is why the silk 
industry does not flourish here as it does in 
the Old World. 

“The fruit of the mulberry is wholesome and 
pleasant to taste. It is improved by cooking 
with other fruit of more tart flavor. The black 
mulberry is a small tree of bushy growth, with 
heart-shaped leaves. The fruit is purplish black, 
with dark red juice, slightly acid, and very sweet. 
The cultivated red mulberry has a sweet, purple- 
red berry. The tree may reach a height of sixty 
or seventy feet. Its wood is valuable for build¬ 
ing purposes. 

“Then there is the paper mulberry which 
grows in India, Japan and some of the islands 
in the Pacific. It has various uses. The birds 
feed on the berries, while the inner bark is used 
by the Japanese to make paper. The tribes of 
the Pacific Islands use this soft inner bark to 
make garments.” 


160 


THE TWINS IN FBUITLAND 


Uncle Fred paused and smiled at Mrs. Lan¬ 
caster. Jerry, worn out with the excitement of 
the day and the two weeks of joyful anticipation, 
was fast asleep. 

“I’ll carry him upstairs,” whispered his uncle. 

Jerry murmured sleepily as his uncle climbed 
the stairs, “Will you finish it in the morning. 
Uncle Fred?” 




















































